Rest in Peace- Sydney Pollack

What a bummer. Sydney Pollack, one of the great talents in the film industry passed on yesterday at 73 due to cancer.

Pollack was one of the best directors in the last quarter century. He may not have been a prolific director, but his work was usually solid gold.

My favorite of his is the absolute classic Tootsie. A one of a kind film with Dustin Hoffman as an out of work actor, who dresses as a woman to get work. Sydney deftly arranges the laughs, and tension throughout the film. He even plays Hoffman's agent in the film.....begging his client to see some professional help.

You may have seen him last year in Michael Clayton. He was the head of the Law Firm were Clooney's character worked. Pollack was also Executive Producer.

Pollack won Oscar gold with Out of Africa. He won for directing the producing the film.

He always added a serious touch of class to any project he was a part of, and he will be missed.


J

Idol Finale = DOPE

I am a happy camper! Way to go Cookie!

I thouroughly enjoyed last nights 2 hour finale for American Idol. There were some genuinely good performances by most of the guests and final 12......but for goodness sake, stop Mike Myers before it gets too late. He was a low point, for an actually really good show.

I thought Archie showed grace in losing, and David Cook is the personification of all of us.........absolutely beside himself that he won TV's biggest game show.

Idol helps me deal with my football withdrawal........with Idol withdrawal starting now......It will be a long time 'til the start of the Fall TV Season.

Here's hoping David Cook will continue to kick butt........

Jason

Madden '09 Contributes to Wimpifying our Youth

First, we have baseball and soccer leagues that don't keep score....to protect the kids. Then, EVERYONE gets a trophy so no one feels left out......things that just continue to wimpify our youth, and not prepare them for the harsh realities of real life. No comes this......



A rewind button in the upcoming video game in Madden '09. This is so sad, it honestly makes me sick. This feature, is for junior who can't handle he just got schooled by the computer. If you foe scores on you, or you make a mistake, you can hit the rewind button and erase it.

Why don't we just put the wee ones in a vacuum for their formative years so they don't have to deal with any disappointments.

I may be overstating this....but c'mon......do we need do overs in our games. Just play it again for goodness sakes.

J

Movie Catch-up

With the near end of a cut short TV regular season, it's time to get to other things. One thing I have set out to do this Summer is watch movies that are important, that I've never had the chance to see. I would throw the Princess Bride, Taxi Driver, the French Connection as examples of important films I just haven't seen.

That leads me to the 1983's the Big Chill. All I knew about the movie, was they were old friends reuniting for an old friends funeral, and Kevin Costner played the dead friend, though he was cut out of the movie.

The film was a who's who at the time. Tom Berenger was a big star.......not so much now. What happened to him? His work in Platoon was truly scary good. Meg Tilly was at the start of what seemed to be a big career......Oscar nomination and all for Agnes of God....but she disappeared to Canada to write, and raise her kids. Jobeth Williams still acts in TV shows periodically to this day. Mary Kay Place.....the most un-famous (is that a word?) actor in the bunch, will always be fondly remembered by me as one of the MASH tv show greatest writers, and star of the classic where Radar is attracted to her, and eventually gets 'SLAKED'. Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, Kevin Kline and William Hurt all continued with fairly consistant movie and TV careers.

Besides Place, each actor has been nominated for an oscar at one point or another, and two have won (Kline and Hurt). Oddly enough the only one to win an Emmy is Mary Kay Place.

So there's the set-up, what did I think of the movie. I thought it was OK, but quite dated. The one thing writer/director Lawrence Kasdan nails, is the interaction between the leads....you do get the sense they are old friends, a little uncomfortable discovering what they all have become. The film also is the master about letting you slowly get the full story behind the characters slowly. It actually is quite well done, but for me there was a fatal flaw. I really didn't care for the characters. They seemed quite self involved, and are pretty much rich whiners. Like I said, it does do a good job of showing their intertwining relationship....but I felt like an outsider looking into the cool kids.

The resolution for the movie also left me quite cold. I found some of it rang true, while some was just plain wish fulfillment. And one last thing.......I have no idea where Glenn Close's character comes from....and why she is such a freak in the film.

'nuff said.

This is part one or my Movie Catch-up this summer. Look for more soon. Enjoy your week.


Jason

Good Vs Evil- American Idol Finale

Next weeks American Idol Finale will be a battle between.........

The Good......

The Evil.......

And the Ugly.........


I am not going to apologize.........I want David Cook to win. This guy has proven week to week that he is a performer, a singer, a star. David Archuleta has proven to have a seriously gifted voice, and to be nothing but a pre-programmed robot. Watch out when Archuleta rebels against his Stage Dad....it could be Todd Bridges ugly.

This week's finale is going to be a suspenseful one. This is the first time I feel, either of the two can win. In other seasons, there really was no question who was going to win.

Season 1- Clarkson or Justin G.....mmmmm
Season 2- Ruben was crowned the winner early in the season....Clay had no chance.
Season 3- Fantasia was annoitted early as well, Degarmo was an also ran.
Season 4- Carrie Underwood or Bo Bice......is that a legitimate choice?
Season 5- McPhever wasn't infective enough to beat the Soul Patrol.
Season 6- Even though I was a huge Blaker fan.....Jordan Sparks was going to win.

So, we have a battle of the titans next week. There should be some true drama.......like will Archie try to sing and dance at the same time, and lose his breath.

One thing I know for a fact.....David Cook will have a career......Archie will not last the test of time.

J

The Changing Face of Music

Want to know where the struggling music industry is looking to for revenue?






It has now become shiek to be included into a video game, and profitable.

Firstly, obviously the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises are exposing people to music they may have never heard.....or forgotten about. The result? Every song on the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games have seen a spike in sales online. ITUNES even has a Guitar Hero section to make it easier for axe shredders to get their favorite songs. Metallica is debuting their new song on Rock Band, and Aerosmith will be featured this summer with their own Guitar Hero game. Time will tell if sales will be dramatically effected by this......but it can't hurt. More and more bands are allowing their music to be included......the Holy Grails for the games, continue to be the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC.

Secondly.....Grand Theft Auto 4. Radio Stations are a big part of the game itself, and many tracks are featured in the game are from big name artists. The game makers were able to get them for a song (sorry), by making them identifiable in the game, and making them easily purchased online in the real world.

It does make sense, the music business is in trouble, and the video game market is booming...........maybe one can save the other.

J

Idol Exposed by Entertainment Weekly

Short post today, just wanted to point out an excellent article by Entertainment Weekly concerning how the American Idol contestants choose their songs. An excellent behind the scenes look....check it out!

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20007164_20171835_20197246,00.html

Jason