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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
How many of me are there?
Want to know how many people share your name? I thought so. But for those who do, just click here and you can find out. Well, maybe not exactly. From what I gather this site bases its information on statistical probabilities. In fact, in its FAQ section, in answer to the question "Does the program really know how many people have the same name as me?", the answer is: "No. The program returns an estimate based on available data. It should be considered a 'ballpark figure'. It will usually return an answer in the right general area, but the chances of the figure being exactly right are very low." With that in mind, the program said only six people share my name, nine share my son's name (although if I used his middle name instead of his first name, he may be the only person alive with that name), and my granddaughter may be unique in the whole U.S. of A., the only one with her first and last name. But I already knew she was one of a kind.
Craigslist dangers
The moral of this story is simple: When purchasing something you found on Craigs List, don't agree to go to the buyer's house to complete the sale. Meet somewhere that's more public, perhaps at the parking lot of the Lew Sterrett Center.
The fight is on
Frontburner took the gloves off and came out swinging today against the Dallas Observer. I am not going to take sides in this thing because I think it's silly to get all huffy about a model, for crying out loud. But I do agree with the folks at D who think it was wrong for Jim Schutze to call those at the city directing the Trinity River Corridor Project "idiots." I worked alongside most of those people and I can guarantee you they are anything but. At the same time, it does appear, according to the slideshow offered by The Observer, that it could be dangerous to drive across some of those bridges.
Jackson Browne's new look
Jackson Browne has a new CD coming out in a couple of weeks called "Time the Conqueror," his first studio release in six years. The CD's cover is pictured here. I'm not sure whether he's trying to say he's been conquered by time or what, but it definitely is a departure.
Whatever happened to Mickey Rourke?
I first noticed Mickey Rourke in a small role as an arsonist in "Body Heat." He reminded me of Christopher Walken, an actor who seems to have everything under control but you just now he's capable of bursting out at any moment. He was in films I saw before he appeared in "Body Heat," namely "1941" and "Heaven's Gate," but I can't recall him in those movies.
After "Body Heat," he had a memorable role in "Diner," and then as Matt Dillon's older brother in "Rumble Fish." He worked himself up to leading roles in such films as "The Pope of Greenwich Village," the awful "9 1/2 Weeks," "Barfly" and "Angel Heart." However, he started getting the reputation as an actor difficult to work with (director Alan Parker called him "very dangerous on the set") and one who turned down too many good parts. In 1991, he decided to give up acting and return to his original profession, a boxer. That didn't turn out so well, so he came back to acting, struggling in a series of smaller roles (although he turned down the role Bruce Willis eventually took in "Pulp Fiction") until he regained some attention in 2005 for "Sin City." At the time he said he thought his best work was yet to come.
He may have been right. Former Dallas Morning News Film Critic Philip Wuntch (the finest film writer Dallas has ever seen) first tipped me off to Rourke's performance in film called "The Wrestler," after I published on here the results of my first Oscar poll of the year. Wuntch expressed surprised that Rourke's name had not been mentioned among leading Oscar contenders. Since then, "The Wrestler" has played at the Toronto Film Festival and among those gushing are Roger Ebert who calls it arguably Rourke's best career performance and says the film is "drawing turn-away crowds.
Perhaps the reason Rourke's name had not been mentioned in my Oscar poll is because the film did not even have a U.S. distributor before it came to Toronto. It does now, however. Fox Searchlight, responsible for last year's "Juno," has picked it up. Last year at Toronto Ebert started the buzz about Ellen Page's performance in "Juno." It will be interesting to see if he can do the same for Rourke.
After "Body Heat," he had a memorable role in "Diner," and then as Matt Dillon's older brother in "Rumble Fish." He worked himself up to leading roles in such films as "The Pope of Greenwich Village," the awful "9 1/2 Weeks," "Barfly" and "Angel Heart." However, he started getting the reputation as an actor difficult to work with (director Alan Parker called him "very dangerous on the set") and one who turned down too many good parts. In 1991, he decided to give up acting and return to his original profession, a boxer. That didn't turn out so well, so he came back to acting, struggling in a series of smaller roles (although he turned down the role Bruce Willis eventually took in "Pulp Fiction") until he regained some attention in 2005 for "Sin City." At the time he said he thought his best work was yet to come.
He may have been right. Former Dallas Morning News Film Critic Philip Wuntch (the finest film writer Dallas has ever seen) first tipped me off to Rourke's performance in film called "The Wrestler," after I published on here the results of my first Oscar poll of the year. Wuntch expressed surprised that Rourke's name had not been mentioned among leading Oscar contenders. Since then, "The Wrestler" has played at the Toronto Film Festival and among those gushing are Roger Ebert who calls it arguably Rourke's best career performance and says the film is "drawing turn-away crowds.
Perhaps the reason Rourke's name had not been mentioned in my Oscar poll is because the film did not even have a U.S. distributor before it came to Toronto. It does now, however. Fox Searchlight, responsible for last year's "Juno," has picked it up. Last year at Toronto Ebert started the buzz about Ellen Page's performance in "Juno." It will be interesting to see if he can do the same for Rourke.
On this date in
1608 John Smith was elected president of the Jamestown colony council.
1801 Voodoo practioner Marie Laveau was born.
1813 The U.S. Navy defeated Great Britain's Royal Navy at the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. Following the battle, U.S. Commander Oliver Hazard Perry hastily scrawled in pencil his now-famous note on the back of an old envelope: "We have met the enemy and they are ours."
1923 Simon Bolivar becomes president of Peru.
1846 Elias Howe received a patent for the sewing machine.
1897 A sheriff's posse killed 19 unarmed immigrant miners near Hazleton, Penn., in what became known as the Lattimer massacre.
1898 Anarchist Luigi Lucheni stabbed and killed Austrian Empress Elisabeth of Bavaria.
1914 Film director Robert Wise was born.
1919 Gen. John J. Pershing arrived in New York with 25,00 soldiers, members of the 1st Division during World War I.
1924 Baseball player Ted Kluzewski was born.
1932 New York City's third competing subway system, the IND, opens.
1934 Roger Maris was born; journalist Charles Kuralt was born
1945 Vidkun Quisling was sentenced to death for collaborating with the Nazis during his tenure in the government of occupied Norway; Mike the Headless Chicken is decapitated but lives another 18 months before choking to death.
1948 Mildred Gillars, a radio personality known as "Axis Sally" for her pro-Nazi propoganda broadcasts, was indicted for treason.
1955 "Gunsmoke" made its television premiere.
1977 Hamida Djandoubi, convicted of torture and murder, became the last person to be guillotined in France.
1988 Steffi Graf won the U.S. Open tennis tournament to capture the Grand Slam.
2002 Switzerland joined the United Nations.
2003 Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh was stabbed; she died a day later.
1801 Voodoo practioner Marie Laveau was born.
1813 The U.S. Navy defeated Great Britain's Royal Navy at the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. Following the battle, U.S. Commander Oliver Hazard Perry hastily scrawled in pencil his now-famous note on the back of an old envelope: "We have met the enemy and they are ours."
1923 Simon Bolivar becomes president of Peru.
1846 Elias Howe received a patent for the sewing machine.
1897 A sheriff's posse killed 19 unarmed immigrant miners near Hazleton, Penn., in what became known as the Lattimer massacre.
1898 Anarchist Luigi Lucheni stabbed and killed Austrian Empress Elisabeth of Bavaria.
1914 Film director Robert Wise was born.
1919 Gen. John J. Pershing arrived in New York with 25,00 soldiers, members of the 1st Division during World War I.
1924 Baseball player Ted Kluzewski was born.
1932 New York City's third competing subway system, the IND, opens.
1934 Roger Maris was born; journalist Charles Kuralt was born
1945 Vidkun Quisling was sentenced to death for collaborating with the Nazis during his tenure in the government of occupied Norway; Mike the Headless Chicken is decapitated but lives another 18 months before choking to death.
1948 Mildred Gillars, a radio personality known as "Axis Sally" for her pro-Nazi propoganda broadcasts, was indicted for treason.
1955 "Gunsmoke" made its television premiere.
1977 Hamida Djandoubi, convicted of torture and murder, became the last person to be guillotined in France.
1988 Steffi Graf won the U.S. Open tennis tournament to capture the Grand Slam.
2002 Switzerland joined the United Nations.
2003 Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh was stabbed; she died a day later.
A couple of political items worth noting
Emmy Award-winning comedian Al Franken overwhelmingly won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate from Minnesota and now will face Republican incumbent Norm Coleman, a former Democrat who lost a governor's election in Minnesota to another celebrity, wrestler Jesse Ventura. Which makes me wonder what Kinky Friedman is up to these days.
Out West, what the New York Times calls "California's influential (emphasis mine) prison guards union" has declared formally it will seek a recall election against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Only one other such recall movement in California was successul and that came in 2003 against Gov. Gray Davis. Schwarzenegger replaced Davis and then won another term in 2006. That term ends in 2011. Gov. Davis' approval ratings were 33 percent when he was recalled. Schwarzenegger's current approval ratings are 38 percent. The union swears their recall effort has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that the governor refuses to raise the wages of this union's members. Sure. Fine. Whatever.
Out West, what the New York Times calls "California's influential (emphasis mine) prison guards union" has declared formally it will seek a recall election against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Only one other such recall movement in California was successul and that came in 2003 against Gov. Gray Davis. Schwarzenegger replaced Davis and then won another term in 2006. That term ends in 2011. Gov. Davis' approval ratings were 33 percent when he was recalled. Schwarzenegger's current approval ratings are 38 percent. The union swears their recall effort has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that the governor refuses to raise the wages of this union's members. Sure. Fine. Whatever.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The Dallas Morning News All Mavericks team
The Dallas Morning News selected its all-time Mavericks team this morning and I find it a little depressing. For example, the starting center is James Donaldson with Erick Dampier as the backup and my immediate thought is "We never had any better centers than that?"
The same for point guard where Derek Harper, easily one of the most overrated players in NBA history, is listed first. That's ridiculous, putting Harper ahead of Steve Nash. I guess they have Harper on there because he holds a couple of team records, but that's because he played for the Mavericks for centuries. The two things I will always remember about Harper is the stupid mistakes he made to turn sure wins into losses and the fact that I can't remember him ever being listed among the Top 10 in assists during a season. And assists is the major measuring statistic for a point guard. Not only that, Channel 21's Gina Miller deserves a better sidekick for halftime and post-game Mavericks commentary than Harper.
And we all know all the criticisms being heaped on Josh Howard right now. Well, folks, with all that, he is still listed by the Morning News as the second best small forward in Mavericks history behind Mark Aguirre. Like I said, it's kind of depressing. But then that could be the reason the Mavs have never won an NBA title.
The same for point guard where Derek Harper, easily one of the most overrated players in NBA history, is listed first. That's ridiculous, putting Harper ahead of Steve Nash. I guess they have Harper on there because he holds a couple of team records, but that's because he played for the Mavericks for centuries. The two things I will always remember about Harper is the stupid mistakes he made to turn sure wins into losses and the fact that I can't remember him ever being listed among the Top 10 in assists during a season. And assists is the major measuring statistic for a point guard. Not only that, Channel 21's Gina Miller deserves a better sidekick for halftime and post-game Mavericks commentary than Harper.
And we all know all the criticisms being heaped on Josh Howard right now. Well, folks, with all that, he is still listed by the Morning News as the second best small forward in Mavericks history behind Mark Aguirre. Like I said, it's kind of depressing. But then that could be the reason the Mavs have never won an NBA title.
Battle of the Icons
Want to know what your computer desktop icons are doing when you're not looking? Then check this out.
On this date in
1754 William Bligh, the captain of H.M.S. Bounty, was born.
1776 The second Continental Congress changed the name of "United Colonies" to the "United States."
1791 Washington. D.C., is named after George Washington.
1850 California became the 31st state.
1887 American politician Alf Landon was born.
1890 Harland Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, was born.
1894 Film producer Arthur Freed was born.
1898 Baseball player Frankie Frisch was born.
1900 English novelist James Hilton was born.
1919 Bookie and sports commenatator "Jimmy the Greek" Snyder was born.
1924 Local police shoot and kill 16 striking sugar workers in Hawaii in what becomes known as the Hanapepe Massacre; actress Jane Greer was born.
1926 The Radio Corporation of America created the National Broadcasting Co.
1941 Soul singer Otis Redding was born.
1948 The People's Democratic Republic of Korea, more commonly known as North Korea, was created.
1956 Elvis Presley first appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
1957 President Eisenhower signed the first civil rights law to pass Congress since Reconstruction.
1965 Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game; the Department of Housing and Urban Development is established.
1971 The four-day Attica Prison riot began.
1976 Mao Tse-Tung died.
2001 Ahmad Shah Massoud, who played a leading role in driving the Soviets out of Afghanistan, was killed in a suicide attack.
2004 A car bomb explodes outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.
1776 The second Continental Congress changed the name of "United Colonies" to the "United States."
1791 Washington. D.C., is named after George Washington.
1850 California became the 31st state.
1887 American politician Alf Landon was born.
1890 Harland Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, was born.
1894 Film producer Arthur Freed was born.
1898 Baseball player Frankie Frisch was born.
1900 English novelist James Hilton was born.
1919 Bookie and sports commenatator "Jimmy the Greek" Snyder was born.
1924 Local police shoot and kill 16 striking sugar workers in Hawaii in what becomes known as the Hanapepe Massacre; actress Jane Greer was born.
1926 The Radio Corporation of America created the National Broadcasting Co.
1941 Soul singer Otis Redding was born.
1948 The People's Democratic Republic of Korea, more commonly known as North Korea, was created.
1956 Elvis Presley first appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
1957 President Eisenhower signed the first civil rights law to pass Congress since Reconstruction.
1965 Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game; the Department of Housing and Urban Development is established.
1971 The four-day Attica Prison riot began.
1976 Mao Tse-Tung died.
2001 Ahmad Shah Massoud, who played a leading role in driving the Soviets out of Afghanistan, was killed in a suicide attack.
2004 A car bomb explodes outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Monday, September 8, 2008
On this date in
1565 The first permanent European settlement in North America was established at what is today St. Augustine, Fla.
1664 The Dutch surrendered New Amsterdam to the British who renamed it New York.
1841 Composer Antonin Dvorak was born.
1889 Robert A. Taft, a prominent conservative politican and a New Deal opponent, was born.
1897 Jimmie Rodgers, country music's first superstar, was born.
1900 A hurricane struck Galveston killing at least 6,000 people; liberal politician Claude Pepper was born.
1921 Margaret Gorman became the first Miss America.
1930 The comic strip "Blondie" was published for the first time.
1932 Country singer Patsy Cline was born.
1935 Louisiana senator Huey P. Long was shot; he died two days later.
1941 The Siege of Leningrad began.
1952 Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" was published.
1966 The television show "Star Trek" premiered.
1974 President Ford unconditionally pardoned Richard Nixon.
1975 Court-ordered city wide busing began in Boston.
1664 The Dutch surrendered New Amsterdam to the British who renamed it New York.
1841 Composer Antonin Dvorak was born.
1889 Robert A. Taft, a prominent conservative politican and a New Deal opponent, was born.
1897 Jimmie Rodgers, country music's first superstar, was born.
1900 A hurricane struck Galveston killing at least 6,000 people; liberal politician Claude Pepper was born.
1921 Margaret Gorman became the first Miss America.
1930 The comic strip "Blondie" was published for the first time.
1932 Country singer Patsy Cline was born.
1935 Louisiana senator Huey P. Long was shot; he died two days later.
1941 The Siege of Leningrad began.
1952 Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" was published.
1966 The television show "Star Trek" premiered.
1974 President Ford unconditionally pardoned Richard Nixon.
1975 Court-ordered city wide busing began in Boston.
A night at the opera
Woody Allen directing an opera? Well, he is and it seems like he pulled it off, at least according to this review that appeared in today's New York Times.
The production by the Los Angeles Opera company is actually three one-act operas by Puccini, with Allen directing only the third one, "Gianni Schicchi," which Allen described as "funny compared to 'Tosca,' not funny compared to Duck Soup'." The other two operas are directed by William Friedkin, another respected film director.
And, according to this positive review in the Los Angeles Times, the idea to woo Allen to the Los Angeles opera was the brainchild of Placido Domingo.
I read recently where the Dallas Opera has hired George Steel, a man "hailed for innovative programming," as its new general director. Hmm. Woody Allen, "innovative programming." I wonder if Steel has any plans along these lines? I have contacted the Dallas Opera posing this exact question and will update this should I receive a reply.
The production by the Los Angeles Opera company is actually three one-act operas by Puccini, with Allen directing only the third one, "Gianni Schicchi," which Allen described as "funny compared to 'Tosca,' not funny compared to Duck Soup'." The other two operas are directed by William Friedkin, another respected film director.
And, according to this positive review in the Los Angeles Times, the idea to woo Allen to the Los Angeles opera was the brainchild of Placido Domingo.
I read recently where the Dallas Opera has hired George Steel, a man "hailed for innovative programming," as its new general director. Hmm. Woody Allen, "innovative programming." I wonder if Steel has any plans along these lines? I have contacted the Dallas Opera posing this exact question and will update this should I receive a reply.
Advantage NFC
For the past couple of years it seems the best professional football teams have all been in the AFC -- the big three being the Patriots, the Colts and the Chargers. In most rankings, an NFC team finished no higher than fourth.
Most everyone assumed the Patriots, what with Tom Brady at quarterback and their always easy schedule, would cruise back to the Super Bowl this season. But then Brady was injured in yesterday's season-opening game, begging the question which team will succeed New England as rulers of the AFC. The obvious answer would be either the Colts or the Chargers.
I know one week doesn't mean that much but take a good look at yesterday's results. Both the Colts and the Chargers were beaten at home by NFC teams, the Chargers losing in the last second to Carolina and the Colts being soundly thumped by Chicago in the first game in Indianapolis' new stadium. Is the NFL's balance of power shifting?
Most everyone assumed the Patriots, what with Tom Brady at quarterback and their always easy schedule, would cruise back to the Super Bowl this season. But then Brady was injured in yesterday's season-opening game, begging the question which team will succeed New England as rulers of the AFC. The obvious answer would be either the Colts or the Chargers.
I know one week doesn't mean that much but take a good look at yesterday's results. Both the Colts and the Chargers were beaten at home by NFC teams, the Chargers losing in the last second to Carolina and the Colts being soundly thumped by Chicago in the first game in Indianapolis' new stadium. Is the NFL's balance of power shifting?
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Nine will mark the year of the Eighth in Britain
Thinking about Charles Laughton in his Academy Award winning role in "The Private Life of Henry VIII," it's interesting to realize that the actual Henry VIII was only 18 years old when he assumed the crown as the King of England. Next year makes the 500th anniversary of that accession and England is going to be celebrating it all year long. I wonder if significant discounts to any of these events will be given to those who have been married six times.
Big 12 has five teams in AP's Top 13
The Big 12 and the Southeastern Conference comprise 10 of the Top 13 college football teams in the country, according to the latest AP poll. The Big 10 has two schools in this group and the Pac 10 has one, but it's the big one. Here's the top 13:
1. Southern California, 2. Georgia, 3. Oklahoma, 4. Florida, 5. Ohio State, 6. Missouri, 7. LSU, 8. Texas, 9. Auburn, 10. Wisconsin, 11. Alabama, 12. Texas Tech, 13. Kansas.
Of course, the AP poll lists 25 teams, but who cares about the Little 12. If you do care, however, you can check out the complete list here.
1. Southern California, 2. Georgia, 3. Oklahoma, 4. Florida, 5. Ohio State, 6. Missouri, 7. LSU, 8. Texas, 9. Auburn, 10. Wisconsin, 11. Alabama, 12. Texas Tech, 13. Kansas.
Of course, the AP poll lists 25 teams, but who cares about the Little 12. If you do care, however, you can check out the complete list here.
How safe is your money
Want to know if you should switch banks or stay right where you are? Here are the ratings of all the banks in Texas. No thanks are necessary, but contributions to the Pete Oppel Unemployment Trust will be welcomed, as long as they are not checks drawn on this bank or this one.
On this date in
1533 Queen Elizabeth I was born.
1822 Brazil declared its independence from Portugal.
1860 American folk artist Grandma Moses was born.
1900 Novelist Taylor Caldwell was born.
1901 The Peace of Beijing ended the Boxer Rebellion.
1913 Actor Sir Anthony Quayle was born.
1936 Charles Hardin "Buddy" Holly was born in Lubbock.
1940 The Nazis began their blitz of London.
1963 The Pro Football Hall of Fame opened in Canton, Ohio.
1969 Senator Everett M. Dirksen died.
1977 The Torrijos-Carter treaties, that guaranteed Panama would gain control of the Panama Canal after 1999, were signed; G. Gordon Liddy was released after serving four years in prison for his role in the Watergate conspiracy.
1979 ESPN made its debut on cable television.
1986 Desmond Tutu became the first black to lead the Anglican church in South Africa.
1990 Kimberly Bergalis said she had been infected with HIV when she had her molars removed by dentist David Acer, who was diagnosed with AIDS three months before he performed the procedure.
1996 Rapper Tupac Shakur was shot in Las Vegas. He died six days later.
1998 Slugger Mark Maguire hit his 61st homerun of the season, equaling the mark set by Roger Maris; Stanford University students Larry Page and Sergey Brin incorporated a privately held company they called Google.
1822 Brazil declared its independence from Portugal.
1860 American folk artist Grandma Moses was born.
1900 Novelist Taylor Caldwell was born.
1901 The Peace of Beijing ended the Boxer Rebellion.
1913 Actor Sir Anthony Quayle was born.
1936 Charles Hardin "Buddy" Holly was born in Lubbock.
1940 The Nazis began their blitz of London.
1963 The Pro Football Hall of Fame opened in Canton, Ohio.
1969 Senator Everett M. Dirksen died.
1977 The Torrijos-Carter treaties, that guaranteed Panama would gain control of the Panama Canal after 1999, were signed; G. Gordon Liddy was released after serving four years in prison for his role in the Watergate conspiracy.
1979 ESPN made its debut on cable television.
1986 Desmond Tutu became the first black to lead the Anglican church in South Africa.
1990 Kimberly Bergalis said she had been infected with HIV when she had her molars removed by dentist David Acer, who was diagnosed with AIDS three months before he performed the procedure.
1996 Rapper Tupac Shakur was shot in Las Vegas. He died six days later.
1998 Slugger Mark Maguire hit his 61st homerun of the season, equaling the mark set by Roger Maris; Stanford University students Larry Page and Sergey Brin incorporated a privately held company they called Google.
Intriguing names coming to Broadway this season
Kristin Scott-Thomas is one of my favorite actors. She first came to my attention 14 or so years ago in the film "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and most recently I marveled again at her talents in the French film "Tell No One." Earlier this year she the Laurence Olivier award, considered the most prestigious award in British theater, for her peformance in Anton Chekov's "The Seagull." She will be bringing that performance to Broadway beginning Oct. 1, co-starring with another one of my favorite actors, Peter Sarsgaard, who first came to my attention in 1999 in "Boys Don't Cry" and who should have been nominated for an Oscar for his performance in "Shattered Glass."
The pairing of Scott-Thomas and Sarsgaard is to me the most attractive offering of the new Broadway season, but these two actors are not the only ones noted mostly for film work coming to Broadway this year. Katie Holmes will be making her Broadway debut, co-starring with John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest and Patrick Wilson in Arthur Miller's "All My Sons." Daniel Radcliffe will be exposing both his acting chops and his naked body in "Equus" (he received positive reviews for this performance in London).
The pairing of Scott-Thomas and Sarsgaard is to me the most attractive offering of the new Broadway season, but these two actors are not the only ones noted mostly for film work coming to Broadway this year. Katie Holmes will be making her Broadway debut, co-starring with John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest and Patrick Wilson in Arthur Miller's "All My Sons." Daniel Radcliffe will be exposing both his acting chops and his naked body in "Equus" (he received positive reviews for this performance in London).
Wait until Clint Eastwood hears about this
That old farm standby, the barn, is apparently going the way of the covered bridges. The reason, apparently, is that there are fewer, albeit larger, farms in rural America and the standard barn just doesn't suit the new mega-farm. I dunno. I'm from the Lower East Side of New York and the closest I've ever come to being in a barn was recently when I visited the ranch of some friends up near Whitesboro and spent some time in their horse barn. I'm not sure that counts. But some of my favorite scenes from movies such as "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and "Witness" involve barn raisings, so I did have a small wave of nostalgia over the news of the disappearing barn way of life.
New movies to be released this week on DVD
Baby Mama (2008) **½ This movie serves up plenty of smart, knowing laughs early on, but by the time it hits the third act (or would that be trimester?), it barely crawls to the finish line.
The Fall (2008) **½ This is what you’d get if you told a fiendishly gifted graphic illustrator the plot of "The Princess Bride" and sent him off to come up with his own version.
The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) **½ Although veteran choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping ("Kill Bill," "The Matrix") handles the wire action, the camera work is merely OK and the sequences are on the familiar side. Still, it’s fun to see Jackie Chan resurrect his loopy, staggering "drunken master" fighting style.
Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour (2007) * A dull little PG-rated spook story for tweener girls.
The Fall (2008) **½ This is what you’d get if you told a fiendishly gifted graphic illustrator the plot of "The Princess Bride" and sent him off to come up with his own version.
The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) **½ Although veteran choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping ("Kill Bill," "The Matrix") handles the wire action, the camera work is merely OK and the sequences are on the familiar side. Still, it’s fun to see Jackie Chan resurrect his loopy, staggering "drunken master" fighting style.
Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour (2007) * A dull little PG-rated spook story for tweener girls.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Oklahoma 52 Cincinnati 26
This just in: Oklahoma is good. Make that really good! Say what you want about Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel, but I'm saying Sam Bradford is the best quarterback in the Big 12 conference. Yes, he had two picks today, but he threw for five TDs and had an amazing 10.4 yards per attempt, which is the stat I always use to measure QBs.
Now take a look at OU's schedule. The Sooners play Texas on a neutral site but their only other tought contests, Oct. 18 against Kansas and Nov. 22 against Texas Tech, are both at home. Unless a major catastrophe occurs, expect OU to finish this regular season undefeated. Problem is, that could set them up to play Southern Cal in the BCS championship game and we all know what happened the last time those teams met.
Now take a look at OU's schedule. The Sooners play Texas on a neutral site but their only other tought contests, Oct. 18 against Kansas and Nov. 22 against Texas Tech, are both at home. Unless a major catastrophe occurs, expect OU to finish this regular season undefeated. Problem is, that could set them up to play Southern Cal in the BCS championship game and we all know what happened the last time those teams met.
Man, I hate to see this
What's the worst possible outcome of a college football game? When it's decided by a blown call by the officials. And that's exactly what happened in the Washington-BYU game. The Huskies drove 76 yards in 17 plays and Jake Locker scored from the 2-yard line with two seconds on the clock to pull Washington to within a point, 28-27. His teammates gathered around him in the end zone, jumping up and down, and the officials incorrectly threw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. C'mon. That conduct was as sportsmanlike as anything you'll see on a football field this year. No Washington players came off the bench to join in the celebration, which is usually the standard for calling that penalty. The referees penalized Washington 15 years on the PAT, which was then blocked.
Roger Ebert on "Citizen Kane" and "La Dolce Vita"
Film critic Roger Ebert has a great read today on his blog explaining why he considers "Citizen Kane" the most important film of all time (Two reasons, Ebert argues: "It consolidated the film language up until 1941 and broke new ground in such areas as deep focus, complex sound, and narrative structure. The other reason is that it demonstrated the auteur theory 25 years before it was being defined (of course that theory was already being demonstrated in silent days). It was 'a film by Orson Welles.' It dramatized that the controlling author of a film, especially a great film, is usually its director, not its studio, producers, writers or financial backers. A movie studio, Welles said, is the best toy train set a boy could ever hope for.") and why "La Dolce Vita" might be perhaps his favorite film or, at least, the "film I would most like to see again right now").
Who is this Rielle woman?
According to this profile in today's Los Angeles Times, the 44-year-old Rielle Hunter (pictured here) with whom former vice presidential candidate and Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards had an affair "has been a party girl, a minor (but working) actress (in the 1991 film "Ricochet," she's the reporter who sticks a microphone in Denzel Washington's face), a writer of oddly titled compositions, a yoga enthusiast and a spiritual seeker." She was born Lisa Jo Druck in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (her father was implicated in a 1982 Sports Illustrated article in a scheme to electrocute horses to collect insurance) and legally changer her name to Rielle Hunter in 1994, 14 years after she moved to Los Angeles. Jay McInerney, best known for his book "Bright Lights, Big City," says he based his 1988 novel "Story of My Life" on Rielle. Wickipedia says the book "is narrated in the first-person from the point of view of Alison Poole, 'an ostensibly jaded, cocaine-addled, sexually voracious 20-year old.' Alison is originally from Virginia and lives in Manhattan, where she is involved in several sexual relationships and is aspiring to become an actress. She falls in love with bond trader and Shakespeare expert Dean but soon they betray each other. The novel implies that the cause of protagonist Alison Poole's 'party girl' behavior is her father's abuse including the murder of her prize jumping horse." The Times profile is a good read. Check it out.
On this date in
1860 Social worker Jane Addams, the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, was born.
1888 Businessman Joseph P. Kennedy, the father of John F, Robert and Edward Kennedy, was born.
1890 Military aviator Claire Chennault, the leader of the Flying Tigers, was born.
1899 Theatrical showman and impresario Billy Rose was born.
1901 Anarchist Leon Czolgosz shot and mortally wounded President William B. McKinley.
1909 Explorer Robert Peary claimed he had reached the North Pole five months earlier.
1941 Jews over the age of 6 in Nazi-occupied areas were ordered to wear yellow Stars of David on their clothing.
1943 English rock musician Roger Waters, best known as the bass player and lead singer for Pink Floyd for 21 years, was born.
1970 Palestinian guerillas hijacked four jetliners which were later blown up on the ground in Jordan following the evacuation of the passengers and crew.
1975 Czechoslovakian tennis player Martina Navratilova sought political asylum while in New York participating in the U.S. Open.
1997 Princess Diana's funeral.
1998 Film director Akira Kurosawa died.
2000 The Millennium Summit opened.
2007 Tenor Luciano Pavarotti died.
1888 Businessman Joseph P. Kennedy, the father of John F, Robert and Edward Kennedy, was born.
1890 Military aviator Claire Chennault, the leader of the Flying Tigers, was born.
1899 Theatrical showman and impresario Billy Rose was born.
1901 Anarchist Leon Czolgosz shot and mortally wounded President William B. McKinley.
1909 Explorer Robert Peary claimed he had reached the North Pole five months earlier.
1941 Jews over the age of 6 in Nazi-occupied areas were ordered to wear yellow Stars of David on their clothing.
1943 English rock musician Roger Waters, best known as the bass player and lead singer for Pink Floyd for 21 years, was born.
1970 Palestinian guerillas hijacked four jetliners which were later blown up on the ground in Jordan following the evacuation of the passengers and crew.
1975 Czechoslovakian tennis player Martina Navratilova sought political asylum while in New York participating in the U.S. Open.
1997 Princess Diana's funeral.
1998 Film director Akira Kurosawa died.
2000 The Millennium Summit opened.
2007 Tenor Luciano Pavarotti died.
College football game of the week
I know most eyes are focused on either Miami, Fla. and Florida or West Virginia and East Carolina, but I think the best game involving a Top 25 team this week will be the one between Oklahoma and Cincinnati. Oklahoma is a known football powerhouse and Cincinnati isn't. But the Bearcats of the Big East Conference were 10-3 last year and their quarterback, Dustin Grutza was named the Big East Offensive Player of the Week last week as he threw for four touchdowns in Cincinnati's 40-7 victory over Eastern Kentucky. The Bearcats piled up 557 total yards of offense.
Oklahoma could have easily equaled that output last week had not coach Bob Stoops benched his starters at halftime when the Sooners were ahead of Chattanooga 50-0. The Sooners' defense was even more impressive, giving up a ridiculous 16 yards rushing and 20 yards passing.
If I were a betting man, I would put my money on Stoops getting his 99th victory here. However, the oddsmakers have Oklahoma favored by 23 points. I think it will be a lot closer than that.
Oklahoma could have easily equaled that output last week had not coach Bob Stoops benched his starters at halftime when the Sooners were ahead of Chattanooga 50-0. The Sooners' defense was even more impressive, giving up a ridiculous 16 yards rushing and 20 yards passing.
If I were a betting man, I would put my money on Stoops getting his 99th victory here. However, the oddsmakers have Oklahoma favored by 23 points. I think it will be a lot closer than that.
Philadelphia has cheesesteaks, now it wants a Poe boy
Edgar Allan Poe is buried in Baltimore for the very simple reason that he died there in 1849. For a long time, the city didn't think that was a big deal. Apparently only a handful of folks showed up for his funeral and his grave didn't even have a headstone for more than 20 years. But all that has changed. Baltimore now has a Poe Museum only a few blocks from his grave and the city's NFL team is named after Poe's most famous poem.
But according to this story in today's New York Times, the city of Philadelphia says Poe's body belongs there. Why? Because apparently in the mid-19th century the City of Brotherly Love wasn't. In fact, the rampant crime and violence there at that time, according to Poe scholar Edward Pettit, inspired Poe's invention of the detective fiction genre. In an article in a Philadelphia paper, Pettit implored his fellow citizens of Philadephia to "hop in our cars, drive down I-95 and appropriate a body from a certain Baltimore cemetary. I'll bring the shovel."
No one has taken Pettit up on his offer and, in response, Jeff Jerome, the curator of Baltimore's Poe House, has said "If they want a body, they can have John Wilkes Booth."
But being the civilized men of letters that they are, Pettit and Jerome have decided they will settle their feud with a debate at 20 paces Jan. 13 at the Philadelphia Free Library. Jerome is already predicting victory: "I will argue the other guy down with grace and facts. Then I will walk over to him like a gentleman and punch him square in the nose."
But according to this story in today's New York Times, the city of Philadelphia says Poe's body belongs there. Why? Because apparently in the mid-19th century the City of Brotherly Love wasn't. In fact, the rampant crime and violence there at that time, according to Poe scholar Edward Pettit, inspired Poe's invention of the detective fiction genre. In an article in a Philadelphia paper, Pettit implored his fellow citizens of Philadephia to "hop in our cars, drive down I-95 and appropriate a body from a certain Baltimore cemetary. I'll bring the shovel."
No one has taken Pettit up on his offer and, in response, Jeff Jerome, the curator of Baltimore's Poe House, has said "If they want a body, they can have John Wilkes Booth."
But being the civilized men of letters that they are, Pettit and Jerome have decided they will settle their feud with a debate at 20 paces Jan. 13 at the Philadelphia Free Library. Jerome is already predicting victory: "I will argue the other guy down with grace and facts. Then I will walk over to him like a gentleman and punch him square in the nose."
World's oldest captive gorilla dies in Dallas Zoo
I really hope the animal rights folks don't go haywire over this, but, because the gorilla's name, unfortunately, was Jenny, I'm expecting the worst.
You gotta be kidding me
Friday, September 5, 2008
This ought to have them spellbound in front of the TV set
In case you missed it (and I'm betting most of you did), don't fret. Tom Leppert at the Back to School Fair was captured on video and has been added to the just announced weekly lineup of City of Dallas Cable Station 16 (that's only if you subscribe to Time-Warner Cable in Dallas; those with satellite dishes "Eat your hearts out!")
Now I know you'll want to print this out and clip it on the fridge, so here's when it will be telecast (it seems like more times than Sportscenter on ESPN):
Monday: 8:30 and 11 a.m.; 11 p.m.
Tuesday: 8:45 a.m.
Wednesday (a City Council agenda day): 8:15 a.m., noon (during council recess, I'm guessing; can't have too much Tom Leppert), and 11 p.m.
Thursday: No scintillating Back to School Fair Thursday but all the rest of the city council members, with the exceptions of Sheffie Kadane, Mitchell Rasansky and Angela Hunt, have their own TV shows that day.
Friday, Sept. 12: 8:15 a.m., and 12:15 and 11 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 13: Prime time, 7 p.m.
Now I know you'll want to print this out and clip it on the fridge, so here's when it will be telecast (it seems like more times than Sportscenter on ESPN):
Monday: 8:30 and 11 a.m.; 11 p.m.
Tuesday: 8:45 a.m.
Wednesday (a City Council agenda day): 8:15 a.m., noon (during council recess, I'm guessing; can't have too much Tom Leppert), and 11 p.m.
Thursday: No scintillating Back to School Fair Thursday but all the rest of the city council members, with the exceptions of Sheffie Kadane, Mitchell Rasansky and Angela Hunt, have their own TV shows that day.
Friday, Sept. 12: 8:15 a.m., and 12:15 and 11 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 13: Prime time, 7 p.m.
Sarah Palin has too much Heart
Apparently when GOP Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin took to the stage at the Republican National Convention, the folks in the soundbooth played Heart's 1970s hit "Barracuda." That apparently didn't sit so well with Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson who issued the following statement right before their record label slapped the Palin campaign with a cease-and-desist order:
"Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song 'Barracuda' no longer be used to promote her image. The song 'Barracuda' was written in the late 70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women. (The 'barracuda' represented the business.) While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC, there's irony in Republican strategists' choice to make use of it there."
"Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song 'Barracuda' no longer be used to promote her image. The song 'Barracuda' was written in the late 70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women. (The 'barracuda' represented the business.) While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC, there's irony in Republican strategists' choice to make use of it there."
The real winner of the Redskins-Giants NFL opener was John McCain
Last week Barack Obama's acceptance speech was watched by more television viewers than any other political convention event ever. That record lasted exactly one week.
According to Nielsen Media Research, John McCain's acceptance speech last night was seen on television by 38.9 million viewers, that's a half a miillion more than watched Obama. And what makes McCain's viewership doubly impressive was that he was going up against the start of the NFL season and since that game featured the Super Bowl champion New York Giants going up against the Washington Redskins, I'm guessing McCain had problems drawing viewers in the nation's largest TV market. (And, besides, all those New Yorkers are Democrats anyway).
According to Nielsen Media Research, John McCain's acceptance speech last night was seen on television by 38.9 million viewers, that's a half a miillion more than watched Obama. And what makes McCain's viewership doubly impressive was that he was going up against the start of the NFL season and since that game featured the Super Bowl champion New York Giants going up against the Washington Redskins, I'm guessing McCain had problems drawing viewers in the nation's largest TV market. (And, besides, all those New Yorkers are Democrats anyway).
Good news on the Roger Ebert front
Roger Ebert has always been one of my favorite film critics, not because of his TV programs, but because of his reviews that have appeared on the Chicago Sun Times for more than 40 years now. In the last couple of years, Ebert has been battling cancer that sent him to the hospital twice for long periods of treatment. I feared the worst. But, from the looks of this, his health must be improving remarkably because he's in Toronto right now actively covering that city's 33rd film festival, which marks the official start of "Oscar Season."
More bad news on the newspaper front
Word is out that the Chicago Tribune will shrink its size to a three-section newspaper -- one section devoted to news, one to features and the third for sports -- within the next couple of weeks. The Tribune, like the Dallas Morning News, currently has separate business and local news sections. Those sections would be incoporated into the front section which will also contain national and international news and the editorial pages, according to sources inside the Tribune. Sam Zell, the chairman of Tribune Company, has ordered similar reductions in the company's newspapers due to steep declines in advertising. The advertising-to-news ratio at the Tribune is currently 50-50, so I've been told. When I was at the Dallas Morning News, the formula it strove to achieve ws 65 percent advertising (much of that classified ads) to 35 percent news. I have no idea what that ratio is today and if anyone out there does, I would appreciate it if you added that information as a comment.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Morning News announced yesterday that 270 additional employees of the paper had accepted a voluntary buyout offer.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Morning News announced yesterday that 270 additional employees of the paper had accepted a voluntary buyout offer.
On this date in
1735 Composer Johann Christian Bach, the youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach, was born.
1774 The First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia.
1793 The Reign of Terror began in France.
1836 Sam Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas.
1847 Outlaw Jesse James was born.
1902 Motion picture producer Darryl Zanuck was born.
1905 The Treaty of Portsmouth, so named because it was signed in a New Hampshire naval shipyard, ended the Russo-Japanese War.
1914 The First Battle of the Marne began.
1940 Actress Racquel Welch was born.
1945 Iva Toguri D'Aquino, the woman suspected of being "Tokyo Rose," was arrested.
1957 Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" was published.
1958 Boris Pasternak's "Doctor Zhivago" was published in the United States.
1972 Palestinian terrorists attacked the Israeli Olympic team in Munich resulting in the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes, five terrorists and a police officer.
1975 Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson, attempted to assassinate President Ford.
1977 Voyager 1 was launched, two weeks after the launching of Voyager 2.
1997 Mother Teresa died.
2006 Felipe Calderon was declared the official winner of the disputed Mexican presidential elections.
1774 The First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia.
1793 The Reign of Terror began in France.
1836 Sam Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas.
1847 Outlaw Jesse James was born.
1902 Motion picture producer Darryl Zanuck was born.
1905 The Treaty of Portsmouth, so named because it was signed in a New Hampshire naval shipyard, ended the Russo-Japanese War.
1914 The First Battle of the Marne began.
1940 Actress Racquel Welch was born.
1945 Iva Toguri D'Aquino, the woman suspected of being "Tokyo Rose," was arrested.
1957 Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" was published.
1958 Boris Pasternak's "Doctor Zhivago" was published in the United States.
1972 Palestinian terrorists attacked the Israeli Olympic team in Munich resulting in the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes, five terrorists and a police officer.
1975 Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson, attempted to assassinate President Ford.
1977 Voyager 1 was launched, two weeks after the launching of Voyager 2.
1997 Mother Teresa died.
2006 Felipe Calderon was declared the official winner of the disputed Mexican presidential elections.
Ian out
It's not like te Texas Rangers were in the thick of a pennant race or something, but it's still a shame when a team loses its second best hitter.
Too many fatal motorcycle accidents
OK, OK, although the phrase made me smile, I guess there is a reason for writer Jessica Meyers to shine a light on "catastrophic cheerleading accidents," but (and maybe I'm concerned because a close friend is thinking of buying a motorcycle) there just seems to be too many incidents of fatal motorcycle accidents of late.
And I saw an image of My Hero on my refigerator door
I'm afraid this Dallas Morning News story about the woman who saw the Virgin Mary in a rotten grape overshadowed this story.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Oh, how true it is
A week or so ago I wrote about filmmaker Ilana Trachtman and her documentary "Praying with Liore." Tonight the film was screened before a packed crowd at the Angelika Theater and after the showing, Ms. Trachtman made a short presentation about how she came to make the film and what she has learned traveling around the country presenting her picture. One of the things she said she learned really struck a responsive chord with me. She said: "There are really only two types of people in this world. Those who have special needs and those who will have special needs."
Got "Milk"
"Brokeback Mountain" was the favored picture in the 2005 Oscar race. It was nominated for more Oscars than any other picture that year and, indeed, won a bunch of them including ones for its adapted screenplay and its direction. But when it came time to give out the best picture award, however, that Oscar surprisingly went to "Crash," one of the least-deserving picture winners ever. Why? Some say it was because "Crash" made Los Angeles look and feel good and the majority of Oscar voters live in L.A. But then the homophobia emerged. Tony Curtis and Ernest Borgnine were among Academy voters who came out publicly and said no matter how good the picture was, they could not vote for a movie about gay cowboys.
Yesterday, I published my first poll on this years Oscar race and, lo and behold, the top voter getter in the picture category was "Milk." Will it do what "Brokeback Mountain" couldn't? Well, here's the trailer for the film and it looks like top Oscar quality material to me. And perhaps Hollywood will be more open to embracing a political film based on a true story starring the notoriously straight Sean Penn when it couldn't acknowledge a fictional film about someone spending a lifetime longing for his cowboy lover. We'll just have to see.
Yesterday, I published my first poll on this years Oscar race and, lo and behold, the top voter getter in the picture category was "Milk." Will it do what "Brokeback Mountain" couldn't? Well, here's the trailer for the film and it looks like top Oscar quality material to me. And perhaps Hollywood will be more open to embracing a political film based on a true story starring the notoriously straight Sean Penn when it couldn't acknowledge a fictional film about someone spending a lifetime longing for his cowboy lover. We'll just have to see.
If I never hear the term "hockey mom" again, it will be too soon
Even after her speech last night (which I thought reverted to typical neo-con strategies, namely "If you can't refute the message, then attack the messengers" in Sarah Palin's media bashing), I would still feel more comfortable if John McCain had chosen this woman to be his running mate. I guess he wants to divorce himself from all things Texan.
Free theater tickets
The City of Dallas, through its office of Cultural Affairs, is participating in a nationwide move to attract more patrons to live theater performances and it is doing it in the best way possible -- by handing out free theater tickets.
Beginning at noon, Wednesday, Oct. 1, you can go to this Web site, and reserve free tickets to any one of 26 Dallas area theaters. Three thousand tickets will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis. Once you have reserved your tickets, you can pick them up at the will-call window of the theater on the night of the performance. The tickets will be for performances between Oct. 16 and Nov. 10. Here are the theaters participating:
African American Repertory Theater
Charles W. Eisemann Center
The Company of Rowlett Performers
Contemporary Theatre of Dallas
Dallas Children's Theater
Dallas Hub Theater
Dallas Theater Center
Echo Theatre
Garland Civic Theatre
ICT MainStage
Jubilee Theatre
Lyric Stage
MBS Productions
One Thirty Productions
Pocket Sandwich Theatre
Repertory Company Theatre
Shakespeare Dallas
Teatro Dallas
TeCo Theatrical Productions
The Black Academy of Arts and Letters
The MET Theatre
Theatre Britain
Theatre Three
Uptown Players
WaterTower Theatre
WingSpan Theatre Company
Beginning at noon, Wednesday, Oct. 1, you can go to this Web site, and reserve free tickets to any one of 26 Dallas area theaters. Three thousand tickets will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis. Once you have reserved your tickets, you can pick them up at the will-call window of the theater on the night of the performance. The tickets will be for performances between Oct. 16 and Nov. 10. Here are the theaters participating:
African American Repertory Theater
Charles W. Eisemann Center
The Company of Rowlett Performers
Contemporary Theatre of Dallas
Dallas Children's Theater
Dallas Hub Theater
Dallas Theater Center
Echo Theatre
Garland Civic Theatre
ICT MainStage
Jubilee Theatre
Lyric Stage
MBS Productions
One Thirty Productions
Pocket Sandwich Theatre
Repertory Company Theatre
Shakespeare Dallas
Teatro Dallas
TeCo Theatrical Productions
The Black Academy of Arts and Letters
The MET Theatre
Theatre Britain
Theatre Three
Uptown Players
WaterTower Theatre
WingSpan Theatre Company
On this date in
1781 Los Angeles was founded.
1886 Geronimo, who fought the United States for 25 years for encroaching on Indian land, surrendered.
1888 George Eastman patented his roll-film camera under the registered name Kodak.
1908 Director Edward Dmytryk, one of the blacklisted Hollywood Ten, was born.
1951 President Harry Truman addressed the nation from a conference in San Francisco in the first live coast-to-coast television broadcast.
1957 Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus summoned the National Guard to prevent nine black students from entering Little Rock's Central High School; Ford Motor Company introduced the Edsel.
1972 Mark Spitz became the first person to win seven gold medals in a single Olympics.
2002 Kelly Clarkson was named the first "American Idol."
2006 Steve Irwin, popularly known as the "Crocodile Hunter," died from a stingray's barb that pierced his chest.
1886 Geronimo, who fought the United States for 25 years for encroaching on Indian land, surrendered.
1888 George Eastman patented his roll-film camera under the registered name Kodak.
1908 Director Edward Dmytryk, one of the blacklisted Hollywood Ten, was born.
1951 President Harry Truman addressed the nation from a conference in San Francisco in the first live coast-to-coast television broadcast.
1957 Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus summoned the National Guard to prevent nine black students from entering Little Rock's Central High School; Ford Motor Company introduced the Edsel.
1972 Mark Spitz became the first person to win seven gold medals in a single Olympics.
2002 Kelly Clarkson was named the first "American Idol."
2006 Steve Irwin, popularly known as the "Crocodile Hunter," died from a stingray's barb that pierced his chest.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
A first loook at this year's Oscar race
It's post-Labor Day which is the time I start forecasting the likely Oscar nomination picks for the year. My predictions are based on a poll I conduct of about 180 Oscar voters who have agreed to share their thoughts with me. What follows are the top five finishers in my most recent poll:
PICTURE
Milk
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Australia
Defiance
Frost/Nixon
DIRECTOR
Gus Van Sant, Milk
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Joe Wright, The Soloist
Edward Zwick, Defiance
ACTOR
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Benicio DelToro, Guerilla
ACTRESS
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Nicole Kidman, Australia
Sally Hawkins, Happy Go Lucky
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Michael Sheen, Frost/Nixon
Robert Downey Jr., The Soloist
Josh Brolin, Milk
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Kathy Bates, Revolutionary Road
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Amy Adams, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Vera Farmiga, Nothing But the Truth
PICTURE
Milk
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Australia
Defiance
Frost/Nixon
DIRECTOR
Gus Van Sant, Milk
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Joe Wright, The Soloist
Edward Zwick, Defiance
ACTOR
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Benicio DelToro, Guerilla
ACTRESS
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Nicole Kidman, Australia
Sally Hawkins, Happy Go Lucky
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Michael Sheen, Frost/Nixon
Robert Downey Jr., The Soloist
Josh Brolin, Milk
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Kathy Bates, Revolutionary Road
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Amy Adams, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Vera Farmiga, Nothing But the Truth
Eight reasons why Sarah Palin is more qualified than Barach Obama
I have hesitated jumping on the Sarah Palin dump truck in print (although My Hero and I had a "What was John McCain thinking?" conversation last night); however, this is just too funny to pass up.
Jamie Lee Curtis as political commentator
On this date in
301 San Marino, one of the world's smallest nations, was founded.
1189 King Richard I, commonly known as Richard the Lionhearted, was crowned.
1260 The Battle of Ain Jalut was fought between Egyptian Mamluks and Mongols, marking the first time the Mongols had ever been decisively defeated in battle.
1658 Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England, died.
1783 The United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, effectively ending the Revolutionary War.
1875 Automotive engineer Ferdinand Porsche was born.
1939 Britain and France declared war on Germany.
1967 Nguyen Van Thieu was elected president of South Vietnam.
1970 Football coach Vince Lombardi died.
1976 Viking 2 landed on Mars and began taking the first close-up color pictures of the planet's surface.
1978 Pope John Paul I, whose 33-day reign was one of the shortest in history, was installed.
1991 A fire at the Imperial Foods chicken processing plant in Hamlet, N.C., killed 25 people and injured 54 others. In 11 years of operation, the plant had never received a safety inspection.
1997 Arizona Governor Fife Symington was convicted of bank fraud and forced to resign. The conviction was later overturned.
2004 The Beslan school hostage crisis ended when Russian forces stormed the school, killing 334 hostages, more than half of them children.
2005 Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist died.
2006 Tennis player Andre Agassi retired.
2007 Steve Fossett, the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon, disappeared.
1189 King Richard I, commonly known as Richard the Lionhearted, was crowned.
1260 The Battle of Ain Jalut was fought between Egyptian Mamluks and Mongols, marking the first time the Mongols had ever been decisively defeated in battle.
1658 Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England, died.
1783 The United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, effectively ending the Revolutionary War.
1875 Automotive engineer Ferdinand Porsche was born.
1939 Britain and France declared war on Germany.
1967 Nguyen Van Thieu was elected president of South Vietnam.
1970 Football coach Vince Lombardi died.
1976 Viking 2 landed on Mars and began taking the first close-up color pictures of the planet's surface.
1978 Pope John Paul I, whose 33-day reign was one of the shortest in history, was installed.
1991 A fire at the Imperial Foods chicken processing plant in Hamlet, N.C., killed 25 people and injured 54 others. In 11 years of operation, the plant had never received a safety inspection.
1997 Arizona Governor Fife Symington was convicted of bank fraud and forced to resign. The conviction was later overturned.
2004 The Beslan school hostage crisis ended when Russian forces stormed the school, killing 334 hostages, more than half of them children.
2005 Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist died.
2006 Tennis player Andre Agassi retired.
2007 Steve Fossett, the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon, disappeared.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Hunt re-invigorates stale budget townhall meeting
If you've never been to a budget town hall meeting (and that's somewhere around 99.99999 percent of the adult Dallas population) what happens is one of the city's assistant city managers or, on a rare occasion, the city manager her own self, will narrate a city-staff-prepared slide presentation of the city manager's proposed budget. It gives all those special interest groups who feel they've been shortchanged the opportunity to jump up and proclaim "But what our little group does really enriches the entire fabric of the city's society so all 100 gazillion dollars should be restored to our efforts, but don't raise taxes and hooray to you for hiring all those extra police officers." Sometimes intelligent discussions do come up such as whether the city should go to a system of once-a-week garbage and recycling pickup and, if so, in what areas of the city should that switch be made and when and how can we get the residents in those dadgum apartment complexes to recycle.
But the centerpiece of the meeting is the slide presentation and, in a huge example of overkill and at the expense of way too many trees, this massive slide presentation is also handed out to everyone who shows up at the townhall meeting. That means, of course, you can jump to the section of the budget that most interests you and not even pay any attention to the assistant city manager who's trying to explain what debt service is and how come so much of the budget must be spent on it.
This year's City of Dallas budget is (and there really isn't any better word to describe it) dull and that makes the slide presentation even more monotonous than it ordinarily is. This not meant as a criticism to the City's staff because any slide presentation on a municipal budget is going to be dull. Let's face it, replacing the city's aging water infrastucture is necessary and important, but it's not exciting.
Which brings me to Tuesday night's townhall meeting at the Village Apartments' Country Club hosted by Angela Hunt, who said "No offense, city staff, but I think I can do this better all by myself." And you know what? By all accounts she did. She presented the budget, not an assistant city manager (although one, A.C. Gonzalez, was present) and she even made her own slide presentation to accompany it. Now, truth be told, tonight was draft night for the fantasy football league I'm in and our draft started at 6:15 p.m. So, by the time I arrived at the Country Club, Ms. Hunt had already made her presentation and was deftly handling comments from a couple of nut jobs, one railing about people with multiple DWIs who continue to drink (I guess he's never heard the term "alcoholic") and the other espousing his racist views on illegal immigrants and why Ms. Hunt doesn't singlehandedly ship them all back to northwest Arkansas where they came from.
It was only after the meeting that I learned Ms. Hunt flew solo. In a conversation with My Hero who has been to a couple hundred of these budget town hall meetings in the last few weeks and who saw the whole thing, she told me Ms. Hunt made the budget presentation and not an assistant city manager and that Ms. Hunt had made her own slides. "She really simplified it and presented it in a way that made sense," My Hero told me. "She did a great job of presenting the budget from the citizens' point of view and not the city's point of view."
For those who might want to see if she'll do it again, Ms. Hunt will have her final budget town hall meeting for this budget process Thursday evening at the Latino Cultural Center. Unfortunately, I will miss that as well because I will be attending a screening of this movie at the Angelika, and I know the rest of Dallas civilization will be at home watching the opening game of the NFL season and thinking "Those guys beat the Cowboys in the playoffs last year? How did they do that?", but just in case you're civic minded in the least, the Latino Cultural Center might be the place to be Thursday evening.
But the centerpiece of the meeting is the slide presentation and, in a huge example of overkill and at the expense of way too many trees, this massive slide presentation is also handed out to everyone who shows up at the townhall meeting. That means, of course, you can jump to the section of the budget that most interests you and not even pay any attention to the assistant city manager who's trying to explain what debt service is and how come so much of the budget must be spent on it.
This year's City of Dallas budget is (and there really isn't any better word to describe it) dull and that makes the slide presentation even more monotonous than it ordinarily is. This not meant as a criticism to the City's staff because any slide presentation on a municipal budget is going to be dull. Let's face it, replacing the city's aging water infrastucture is necessary and important, but it's not exciting.
Which brings me to Tuesday night's townhall meeting at the Village Apartments' Country Club hosted by Angela Hunt, who said "No offense, city staff, but I think I can do this better all by myself." And you know what? By all accounts she did. She presented the budget, not an assistant city manager (although one, A.C. Gonzalez, was present) and she even made her own slide presentation to accompany it. Now, truth be told, tonight was draft night for the fantasy football league I'm in and our draft started at 6:15 p.m. So, by the time I arrived at the Country Club, Ms. Hunt had already made her presentation and was deftly handling comments from a couple of nut jobs, one railing about people with multiple DWIs who continue to drink (I guess he's never heard the term "alcoholic") and the other espousing his racist views on illegal immigrants and why Ms. Hunt doesn't singlehandedly ship them all back to northwest Arkansas where they came from.
It was only after the meeting that I learned Ms. Hunt flew solo. In a conversation with My Hero who has been to a couple hundred of these budget town hall meetings in the last few weeks and who saw the whole thing, she told me Ms. Hunt made the budget presentation and not an assistant city manager and that Ms. Hunt had made her own slides. "She really simplified it and presented it in a way that made sense," My Hero told me. "She did a great job of presenting the budget from the citizens' point of view and not the city's point of view."
For those who might want to see if she'll do it again, Ms. Hunt will have her final budget town hall meeting for this budget process Thursday evening at the Latino Cultural Center. Unfortunately, I will miss that as well because I will be attending a screening of this movie at the Angelika, and I know the rest of Dallas civilization will be at home watching the opening game of the NFL season and thinking "Those guys beat the Cowboys in the playoffs last year? How did they do that?", but just in case you're civic minded in the least, the Latino Cultural Center might be the place to be Thursday evening.
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