Merry Christmas everyone. Let's keep it going in the new year!
Things to look forward to:
1. WEDDING!!!
2. Spider-man 3
3. New blog (!!)
4. More art classes
5. Art school??
6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
7. New Radiohead album
And much, much more...
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Thursday, December 21, 2006
End of an Era
The closure of Tower Records is just one step closer to the digital age, not because people are buying iTunes music like crazy, but because local record stores can't keep up with what was once an album-based market place that is quickly turning into a track-based marketplace. Who really is going to buy the entire album, or listen to the entire album, when everyone's digital audio player is constantly tagged to "shuffle?" We truly do stand at the doorway of a new wave of distribution. Part of it is very exciting, but part of it is also disheartening.
It was with true sadness that I made my final visit to a Tower Records store with only a mere 5 days before it's final closing. The store itself, very unkempt and dilapidated from its impending boarded windows, was quite bare. Nary a popular disc in sight, what was once a proud bastion of independent record store heaven is now a depressing testament to how much the market has changed in the last decade. While iTunes is bustling with exclusive albums and television shows, Tower is stuck with the dregs of musical history including such stalwarts as "Moot Ditty" and "BB Mack." When your employees have to start labeling the Rap section as the Crap section, you know the industry is in trouble.
Tower does have a fond place in my heart. It stands as the place where I discovered the music of Interpol and The Mars Volta, but it is also the first retailer that sold Kubricks in the United States. Before I discovered Kidrobot and other outlets, Tower was the place where I went for getting my vinyl fix, in more ways than one. It was there that I learned to enjoy Rock, Trance, Trip Hop, Bluegrass, Indie, Jazz, and other genres all under one roof and even though its catalog cannot compare to the massive expanse of Amoeba it was the place I knew I could go to discover new talent or even re-discover the old.
Even now, while I purchase music from Rhapsody and other digital marketplaces, nothing compares to actually flipping through jewel cases through the aisles of an actual store. If it wasn't for the hundreds of discs taking up space in the apartment, I'd no doubt be making the trip more often than before. Where now, will people go for a Ticketmaster outlet, where will people go to pick up the local music and event rag? I understand that the online era is king these days, but it doesn't make the fact that one of my favorite stores is going to be shuttered forever.
So it's with great lamentation that I bid Tower Records a fond and bitter farewell. From here on, it's Amoeba or bust.
It was with true sadness that I made my final visit to a Tower Records store with only a mere 5 days before it's final closing. The store itself, very unkempt and dilapidated from its impending boarded windows, was quite bare. Nary a popular disc in sight, what was once a proud bastion of independent record store heaven is now a depressing testament to how much the market has changed in the last decade. While iTunes is bustling with exclusive albums and television shows, Tower is stuck with the dregs of musical history including such stalwarts as "Moot Ditty" and "BB Mack." When your employees have to start labeling the Rap section as the Crap section, you know the industry is in trouble.
Tower does have a fond place in my heart. It stands as the place where I discovered the music of Interpol and The Mars Volta, but it is also the first retailer that sold Kubricks in the United States. Before I discovered Kidrobot and other outlets, Tower was the place where I went for getting my vinyl fix, in more ways than one. It was there that I learned to enjoy Rock, Trance, Trip Hop, Bluegrass, Indie, Jazz, and other genres all under one roof and even though its catalog cannot compare to the massive expanse of Amoeba it was the place I knew I could go to discover new talent or even re-discover the old.
Even now, while I purchase music from Rhapsody and other digital marketplaces, nothing compares to actually flipping through jewel cases through the aisles of an actual store. If it wasn't for the hundreds of discs taking up space in the apartment, I'd no doubt be making the trip more often than before. Where now, will people go for a Ticketmaster outlet, where will people go to pick up the local music and event rag? I understand that the online era is king these days, but it doesn't make the fact that one of my favorite stores is going to be shuttered forever.
So it's with great lamentation that I bid Tower Records a fond and bitter farewell. From here on, it's Amoeba or bust.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Conquer the Mountain
It's been a couple of days and I think I'm recovered well enough to report on our weekend excursion to Mammoth. I may be a little sore and a little exhausted still, but it's only been our first trip of the year.
Anyhow, we took off Friday afternoon under a hazy California sky with the promise of snow in our hearts in a decently packed minivan. This winter's been unkindly dry so far in Mammoth, especially after the goldmine of powder the resort was blessed with last season. Upon getting into town, we could already see a difference in seasons. There was brown to be seen everywhere, not all the lifts were open, but it didn't mean the weather was any less cold. With the highs in the 20's all weekend, we were very lucky to have packed plenty of layers.
Saturday. We woke up for a continental breakfast and run-down of the day's conditions. Scattered snow showers were promised and they finally opened the remaining two lodges (Canyon and Eagle) as a result of earlier fallen snow in the week. A quick shuttle ride later, we were sitting at the bottom of Canyon lodge and staring up at what looked to be a fresh crop of untouched snow. Other than a few tracks already left, we'd made it early enough that there were only a few people ahead of us for the Canyon Express lift.
Trust me, I fell many times on that first trip down. The warm up was worth it though, as I felt much more confident the second time down. Although the snow was a bit crunchy and icy in patches, it was good enough for a few runs before heading over to the Main Lodge after hearing the snow was much better on that side of the mountain. At this point, it's starting to come down a bit and each trip up the lift gets a little bit colder.
Coming down Broadway, we knew it was going to be a good trip. There was plenty of packed powder, but I created enough snow clouds and fresh tracks that it felt like floating. We ended the day exhausted and freezing from the flurries, but were rewarded the next day as the trails accumulated about 12" overnight.
The second day was the best. As you can see from the inset picture, there were blue skies everywhere and the runs were wide open. I didn't care that I had to wait an extra 5 minutes to get on each lift, it was as close to perfect as one can get. While I had a minor flame-out after riding the Facelift chair and coming down the Saddle Bowl, the day encapsulated the whole weekend and gives me many, many high hopes for the coming season.
We're already booked for another trip up next weekend (and more snow is falling this week and next) and I'm very excited to be getting my new board in this week, so this last trip was the perfect tune-up. I wish we could make it elsewhere this year, but Mammoth is always great, so here we go, pray for snow!
Anyhow, we took off Friday afternoon under a hazy California sky with the promise of snow in our hearts in a decently packed minivan. This winter's been unkindly dry so far in Mammoth, especially after the goldmine of powder the resort was blessed with last season. Upon getting into town, we could already see a difference in seasons. There was brown to be seen everywhere, not all the lifts were open, but it didn't mean the weather was any less cold. With the highs in the 20's all weekend, we were very lucky to have packed plenty of layers.
Saturday. We woke up for a continental breakfast and run-down of the day's conditions. Scattered snow showers were promised and they finally opened the remaining two lodges (Canyon and Eagle) as a result of earlier fallen snow in the week. A quick shuttle ride later, we were sitting at the bottom of Canyon lodge and staring up at what looked to be a fresh crop of untouched snow. Other than a few tracks already left, we'd made it early enough that there were only a few people ahead of us for the Canyon Express lift.
Trust me, I fell many times on that first trip down. The warm up was worth it though, as I felt much more confident the second time down. Although the snow was a bit crunchy and icy in patches, it was good enough for a few runs before heading over to the Main Lodge after hearing the snow was much better on that side of the mountain. At this point, it's starting to come down a bit and each trip up the lift gets a little bit colder.
Coming down Broadway, we knew it was going to be a good trip. There was plenty of packed powder, but I created enough snow clouds and fresh tracks that it felt like floating. We ended the day exhausted and freezing from the flurries, but were rewarded the next day as the trails accumulated about 12" overnight.
The second day was the best. As you can see from the inset picture, there were blue skies everywhere and the runs were wide open. I didn't care that I had to wait an extra 5 minutes to get on each lift, it was as close to perfect as one can get. While I had a minor flame-out after riding the Facelift chair and coming down the Saddle Bowl, the day encapsulated the whole weekend and gives me many, many high hopes for the coming season.
We're already booked for another trip up next weekend (and more snow is falling this week and next) and I'm very excited to be getting my new board in this week, so this last trip was the perfect tune-up. I wish we could make it elsewhere this year, but Mammoth is always great, so here we go, pray for snow!
Friday, December 15, 2006
Let it Snow
Off to Mammoth this weekend for the first snow trip of the year. It's supposed to snow snow snow while we're there, so we should be able to whip ourselves into shape quickly before the season is underway.
Still waiting for board to be delivered and contemplating buying one of these, so we're not fully into the season until then.
Well, that and also not until I have my first faceplant of the year. Woo.
Still waiting for board to be delivered and contemplating buying one of these, so we're not fully into the season until then.
Well, that and also not until I have my first faceplant of the year. Woo.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Globes!
Hey, Golden Globe nomiations came out, which means time for predictions and commentary.
You notice how the last few nominations get very long-titled and specific? I guess that's how television goes these days.
MOTION PICTURE CATEGORIES
DRAMATIC PICTURE
"Babel"
"The Departed"
"The Queen"
"Bobby"
"Little Children"
Prediction - The Departed. The Hollywood Foreign Press loves Scorsese.
MUSICAL OR COMEDY PICTURE
"Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"
"Dreamgirls"
"Little Miss Sunshine"
"The Devil Wears Prada"
"Thank You For Smoking"
Prediction - Dreamgirls. A pure musical, the ensemble performances are said to be some of the strongest so far this year.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE
"Apocalypto" (USA)
"Letters From Iwo Jima" (USA/Japan)
"Lives of Others" (Germany)
"Pan's Labyrinth" (Mexico)
"Volver" (Spain)
Prediction - Letters from Iwo Jima. Having shown up on a few critics' "Best Of" lists, I'm gonna say it's heavily favored to take away the award.
BEST DIRECTOR
Clint Eastwood, "Letters From Iwo Jima"
Clint Eastwood, "Flags Of Our Fathers"
Martin Scorsese, "The Departed"
Stephen Frears, "The Queen"
Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Babel"
Prediction - Martin Scorsese. I'd like to see him win just because the sheer force of working with such big names has to make him more of an icon than he already is.
BEST DRAMATIC ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Blood Diamond"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Departed"
Peter O'Toole, "Venus"
Will Smith, "The Pursuit of Happyness"
Forest Whitaker, "The Last King of Scotland"
Prediction - Forest Whitaker. He may be the dark horse of the group, but he always delivers consistently.
BEST DRAMATIC ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz, "Volver"
Judi Dench, "Notes on a Scandal"
Maggie Gyllenhaal, "SherryBaby"
Helen Mirren, "The Queen"
Kate Winslet, "Little Children"
Prediciton - Penelope Cruz. I love her Spanish language work.
BEST ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Sacha Baron Cohen, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"
Johnny Depp, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"
Aaron Eckhart, "Thank You For Smoking"
Chiwetel Ejiofor, "Kinky Boots"
Will Ferrell, "Stranger Than Fiction"
Prediction - Johnny Depp. For the same reason that the academy loves Scorsese, they love the Depp.
BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Annette Bening, "Running With Scissors"
Toni Collette, "Little Miss Sunshine"
Beyonce Knowles, "Dreamgirls"
Meryl Streep, "The Devil Wears Prada"
Renee Zellweger, "Miss Potter"
Prediction - Annette Bening. Wouldn't it be nice for her to win while her husband accepts a lifetime achievement award?
SUPPORTING DRAMATIC ACTOR
Ben Affleck, "Hollywoodland"
Eddie Murphy, "Dreamgirls"
Jack Nicholson, "The Departed"
Brad Pitt, "Babel"
Mark Wahlberg, "The Departed"
Prediction - Jack Nicholson. Although I was going to pick Affleck, because I love the underdog, Jack Nicholson is the smart bet.
SUPPORTING DRAMATIC ACTRESS
Adriana Barraza, "Babel"
Cate Blanchett, "Notes on a Scandal"
Emily Blunt, "The Devil Wears Prada"
Jennifer Hudson, "Dreamgirls"
Rinko Kikuchi, "Babel"
Prediction - Jennifer Hudson. I don't think I've ever heard so much buzz about a cinematic performance in a long time.
ANIMATED FILM
"Cars"
"Happy Feet"
"Monster House"
Prediction - "Cars." Pixar wins, every time.
SCREENPLAY
Guillermo Arriaga, "Babel"
Todd Field and Tom Perrotta, "Little Children"
Patrick Marber, "Notes on a Scandal"
William Monahan, "The Departed"
Peter Morgan, "The Queen"
Prediction - Guillermo Arriaga. From what I've heard, "Babel" is another classic Inarritu film weaving and intersecting around several complex characters. Writing such a film deserves an award all by itself.
ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexandre Desplat, "The Painted Veil"
Clint Mansell, "The Fountain"
Gustavo Santaolalla, "Babel"
Carlo Siliotto, "Nomad"
Hans Zimmer, "The Da Vinci Code"
Prediction - Hans Zimmer. Unfortunately, I don't recognize any other names.
SONG
"A Father's Way" from "The Pursuit of Happyness"
"Listen" from "Dreamgirls"
"Never Gonna Break My Faith" from "Bobby"
"The Song of the Heart" from "Happy Feet"
"Try Not to Remember" from "Home of the Brave"
Prediction - "Listen." Beyonce's gotta win, because she's popular.
TELEVISION CATEGORIES
DRAMATIC TV SERIES
"24"
"Big Love"
"Grey's Anatomy"
"Heroes"
"Lost"
Prediction - "Heroes." Because it's such a tough category, I'm going for the new show. I say Grey's is the favorite because it's the least genre-ish and the most mainstream, but I'd like to see Heroes take it all.
BEST ACTOR, TV DRAMA
Patrick Dempsey, "Grey's Anatomy"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Hugh Laurie, "House"
Bill Paxton, "Big Love"
Kiefer Sutherland, "24"
Prediction - Hugh Laurie. Who could play Sherlock Holmes better than Hugh Laurie? Nobody, that's who.
BEST ACTRESS, TV DRAMA
Patricia Arquette, "Medium"
Edie Falco, "The Sopranos"
Evangeline Lilly, "Lost"
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"
Ellen Pompeo, "Grey's Anatomy"
Prediction - Kyra Sedgewick. While Eve and Ellen, who can get their cry on at the drop of a hat, are quite popular, Kyra plays a strong, complex character week in and week out on "The Closer." Although Edie Falco's character on "The Sopranos" is award fodder, Kyra walks away with this one.
TV SERIES, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
"The Office"
"Desperate Housewives"
"Entourage"
"Ugly Betty"
"Weeds"
Prediction - "The Office." Easily the funniest show of the bunch.
BEST ACTOR, TV MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Zach Braff, "Scrubs
Steve Carell, "The Office"
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Jason Lee, "My Name is Earl"
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk"
Prediction - Alec Baldwin . I love Scrubs and I love Steve Carell's work in general, but Mr. Baldwin does a great job at playing the all-powerful, all-seeing network executive.
BEST ACTRESS, TV MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Marcia Cross, "Desperate Housewives"
Felicity Huffman, "Desperate Housewives"
America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "The New Adventures of Old Christine"
Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds"
Prediction - America Ferrera. She's not really that "Ugly."
BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
"Bleak House"
"Broken Trail"
"Elizabeth I"
"Mrs. Harris"
"Prime Suspect: The Final Act"
Predicion - "Elizabeth I." I'm throwing this out there as a shot in the dark.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Gillian Anderson, "Bleak House"
Annette Bening, "Mrs. Harris"
Helen Mirren , "Eilzabeth I"
Helen Mirren, "Prime Suspect: The Final Act"
Sophie Okonedo, "Tsunami, The Aftermath"
Prediction - Gillian Anderson. SCULLY!
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Andre Braugher, "Thief"
Robert Duvall, "Broken Trail"
Michael Ealy, "Sleeper Cell: American Terror"
Chiwetel Ejiofor, "Tsunami, The Aftermath"
Ben Kingsley, "Mrs. Harris"
Bill Nighy, "Gideon's Daughter"
Matthew Perry, "The Ron Clark Story"
Prediction - Bill Nighy. Even if Mr. Ejiofor was great in Serenity, Bill Nighy really delves deep into his performances.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Emily Blunt, "Gideon's Daughter"
Toni Collette, "Tsunami, The Aftermath"
Katherine Heigl, "Grey's Anatomy"
Sarah Paulson, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"
Elizabeth Perkins, "Weeds"
Prediction - Sarah Paulson . The Lisp wins!
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Thomas Haden Church, "Broken Trail"
Jeremy Irons, "Elizabeth I"
Justin Kirk, "Weeds"
Masi Oka, "Heroes"
Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"
Prediction - Masi Oka. Hiro is awesome. More awesome than the Pivs.
CECIL B. DEMILLE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Warren Beatty
Prediction - Like this one even needs a prediction...
DRAMATIC PICTURE
"Babel"
"The Departed"
"The Queen"
"Bobby"
"Little Children"
Prediction - The Departed. The Hollywood Foreign Press loves Scorsese.
MUSICAL OR COMEDY PICTURE
"Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"
"Dreamgirls"
"Little Miss Sunshine"
"The Devil Wears Prada"
"Thank You For Smoking"
Prediction - Dreamgirls. A pure musical, the ensemble performances are said to be some of the strongest so far this year.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE
"Apocalypto" (USA)
"Letters From Iwo Jima" (USA/Japan)
"Lives of Others" (Germany)
"Pan's Labyrinth" (Mexico)
"Volver" (Spain)
Prediction - Letters from Iwo Jima. Having shown up on a few critics' "Best Of" lists, I'm gonna say it's heavily favored to take away the award.
BEST DIRECTOR
Clint Eastwood, "Letters From Iwo Jima"
Clint Eastwood, "Flags Of Our Fathers"
Martin Scorsese, "The Departed"
Stephen Frears, "The Queen"
Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Babel"
Prediction - Martin Scorsese. I'd like to see him win just because the sheer force of working with such big names has to make him more of an icon than he already is.
BEST DRAMATIC ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Blood Diamond"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Departed"
Peter O'Toole, "Venus"
Will Smith, "The Pursuit of Happyness"
Forest Whitaker, "The Last King of Scotland"
Prediction - Forest Whitaker. He may be the dark horse of the group, but he always delivers consistently.
BEST DRAMATIC ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz, "Volver"
Judi Dench, "Notes on a Scandal"
Maggie Gyllenhaal, "SherryBaby"
Helen Mirren, "The Queen"
Kate Winslet, "Little Children"
Prediciton - Penelope Cruz. I love her Spanish language work.
BEST ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Sacha Baron Cohen, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"
Johnny Depp, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"
Aaron Eckhart, "Thank You For Smoking"
Chiwetel Ejiofor, "Kinky Boots"
Will Ferrell, "Stranger Than Fiction"
Prediction - Johnny Depp. For the same reason that the academy loves Scorsese, they love the Depp.
BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Annette Bening, "Running With Scissors"
Toni Collette, "Little Miss Sunshine"
Beyonce Knowles, "Dreamgirls"
Meryl Streep, "The Devil Wears Prada"
Renee Zellweger, "Miss Potter"
Prediction - Annette Bening. Wouldn't it be nice for her to win while her husband accepts a lifetime achievement award?
SUPPORTING DRAMATIC ACTOR
Ben Affleck, "Hollywoodland"
Eddie Murphy, "Dreamgirls"
Jack Nicholson, "The Departed"
Brad Pitt, "Babel"
Mark Wahlberg, "The Departed"
Prediction - Jack Nicholson. Although I was going to pick Affleck, because I love the underdog, Jack Nicholson is the smart bet.
SUPPORTING DRAMATIC ACTRESS
Adriana Barraza, "Babel"
Cate Blanchett, "Notes on a Scandal"
Emily Blunt, "The Devil Wears Prada"
Jennifer Hudson, "Dreamgirls"
Rinko Kikuchi, "Babel"
Prediction - Jennifer Hudson. I don't think I've ever heard so much buzz about a cinematic performance in a long time.
ANIMATED FILM
"Cars"
"Happy Feet"
"Monster House"
Prediction - "Cars." Pixar wins, every time.
SCREENPLAY
Guillermo Arriaga, "Babel"
Todd Field and Tom Perrotta, "Little Children"
Patrick Marber, "Notes on a Scandal"
William Monahan, "The Departed"
Peter Morgan, "The Queen"
Prediction - Guillermo Arriaga. From what I've heard, "Babel" is another classic Inarritu film weaving and intersecting around several complex characters. Writing such a film deserves an award all by itself.
ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexandre Desplat, "The Painted Veil"
Clint Mansell, "The Fountain"
Gustavo Santaolalla, "Babel"
Carlo Siliotto, "Nomad"
Hans Zimmer, "The Da Vinci Code"
Prediction - Hans Zimmer. Unfortunately, I don't recognize any other names.
SONG
"A Father's Way" from "The Pursuit of Happyness"
"Listen" from "Dreamgirls"
"Never Gonna Break My Faith" from "Bobby"
"The Song of the Heart" from "Happy Feet"
"Try Not to Remember" from "Home of the Brave"
Prediction - "Listen." Beyonce's gotta win, because she's popular.
TELEVISION CATEGORIES
DRAMATIC TV SERIES
"24"
"Big Love"
"Grey's Anatomy"
"Heroes"
"Lost"
Prediction - "Heroes." Because it's such a tough category, I'm going for the new show. I say Grey's is the favorite because it's the least genre-ish and the most mainstream, but I'd like to see Heroes take it all.
BEST ACTOR, TV DRAMA
Patrick Dempsey, "Grey's Anatomy"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Hugh Laurie, "House"
Bill Paxton, "Big Love"
Kiefer Sutherland, "24"
Prediction - Hugh Laurie. Who could play Sherlock Holmes better than Hugh Laurie? Nobody, that's who.
BEST ACTRESS, TV DRAMA
Patricia Arquette, "Medium"
Edie Falco, "The Sopranos"
Evangeline Lilly, "Lost"
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"
Ellen Pompeo, "Grey's Anatomy"
Prediction - Kyra Sedgewick. While Eve and Ellen, who can get their cry on at the drop of a hat, are quite popular, Kyra plays a strong, complex character week in and week out on "The Closer." Although Edie Falco's character on "The Sopranos" is award fodder, Kyra walks away with this one.
TV SERIES, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
"The Office"
"Desperate Housewives"
"Entourage"
"Ugly Betty"
"Weeds"
Prediction - "The Office." Easily the funniest show of the bunch.
BEST ACTOR, TV MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Zach Braff, "Scrubs
Steve Carell, "The Office"
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Jason Lee, "My Name is Earl"
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk"
Prediction - Alec Baldwin . I love Scrubs and I love Steve Carell's work in general, but Mr. Baldwin does a great job at playing the all-powerful, all-seeing network executive.
BEST ACTRESS, TV MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Marcia Cross, "Desperate Housewives"
Felicity Huffman, "Desperate Housewives"
America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "The New Adventures of Old Christine"
Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds"
Prediction - America Ferrera. She's not really that "Ugly."
BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
"Bleak House"
"Broken Trail"
"Elizabeth I"
"Mrs. Harris"
"Prime Suspect: The Final Act"
Predicion - "Elizabeth I." I'm throwing this out there as a shot in the dark.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Gillian Anderson, "Bleak House"
Annette Bening, "Mrs. Harris"
Helen Mirren , "Eilzabeth I"
Helen Mirren, "Prime Suspect: The Final Act"
Sophie Okonedo, "Tsunami, The Aftermath"
Prediction - Gillian Anderson. SCULLY!
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Andre Braugher, "Thief"
Robert Duvall, "Broken Trail"
Michael Ealy, "Sleeper Cell: American Terror"
Chiwetel Ejiofor, "Tsunami, The Aftermath"
Ben Kingsley, "Mrs. Harris"
Bill Nighy, "Gideon's Daughter"
Matthew Perry, "The Ron Clark Story"
Prediction - Bill Nighy. Even if Mr. Ejiofor was great in Serenity, Bill Nighy really delves deep into his performances.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Emily Blunt, "Gideon's Daughter"
Toni Collette, "Tsunami, The Aftermath"
Katherine Heigl, "Grey's Anatomy"
Sarah Paulson, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"
Elizabeth Perkins, "Weeds"
Prediction - Sarah Paulson . The Lisp wins!
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Thomas Haden Church, "Broken Trail"
Jeremy Irons, "Elizabeth I"
Justin Kirk, "Weeds"
Masi Oka, "Heroes"
Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"
Prediction - Masi Oka. Hiro is awesome. More awesome than the Pivs.
CECIL B. DEMILLE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Warren Beatty
Prediction - Like this one even needs a prediction...
You notice how the last few nominations get very long-titled and specific? I guess that's how television goes these days.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Play Misty for Me
Do you think it's crazy to go all-out and buy a brand new musical instrument?
I've had this thing lately, for trying to find a new alto saxophone to replace my aging Martin model. Part of the reason why it's so difficult for me to pick up the horns again isn't just time, but the frustration with now knowing, or at least feeling, like the horns that I grew up playing in high school and college weren't the right ones for me. The Martin in particular is a great horn, but it feels like it really needs an overhaul. Springs are slow, the horn stays cold quite often, and the octave spring never retains its tension. Forget for a second that I haven't played in a really long time, somehow I still know what it feels like when playing the right horn.
The second half of the coin is the super action 80 Selmer Soprano saxophone that resides with my alto in their little home. From the moment I picked it up, I fell in love with the horn. The problem that exists for me here may be something else entirely, however. For instance, there is one mouthpiece that I have used to play on this saxophone that blew the other ones out of the water, but they don't manufacture it anymore. I'd much rather find the mouthpiece I want than the horn that I want in this case, mostly because the Selmer is a beaut, but also because the horns that are out there now are more expensive in the Soprano model than one might expect and much harder to find.
Perhaps the toughest part about buying a horn (besides money) is the playing experience. There are a few things you shouldn't take for face value when purchasing, it might look the best out of everything, but it doesn't matter much if it doesn't connect with your playing style. Unfortunately, many different models aren't supplied to major retailers of musical instruments, so it can be hard to find names other than Selmer and Yamaha when looking for a new horn.
So while I sit and ogle the P. Mauriat vintage style models, the Cannonball Raven finishes, and the Selmer prestige, I can noodle on the old horns for a bit longer. At least I'd get my chops back.
I've had this thing lately, for trying to find a new alto saxophone to replace my aging Martin model. Part of the reason why it's so difficult for me to pick up the horns again isn't just time, but the frustration with now knowing, or at least feeling, like the horns that I grew up playing in high school and college weren't the right ones for me. The Martin in particular is a great horn, but it feels like it really needs an overhaul. Springs are slow, the horn stays cold quite often, and the octave spring never retains its tension. Forget for a second that I haven't played in a really long time, somehow I still know what it feels like when playing the right horn.
The second half of the coin is the super action 80 Selmer Soprano saxophone that resides with my alto in their little home. From the moment I picked it up, I fell in love with the horn. The problem that exists for me here may be something else entirely, however. For instance, there is one mouthpiece that I have used to play on this saxophone that blew the other ones out of the water, but they don't manufacture it anymore. I'd much rather find the mouthpiece I want than the horn that I want in this case, mostly because the Selmer is a beaut, but also because the horns that are out there now are more expensive in the Soprano model than one might expect and much harder to find.
Perhaps the toughest part about buying a horn (besides money) is the playing experience. There are a few things you shouldn't take for face value when purchasing, it might look the best out of everything, but it doesn't matter much if it doesn't connect with your playing style. Unfortunately, many different models aren't supplied to major retailers of musical instruments, so it can be hard to find names other than Selmer and Yamaha when looking for a new horn.
So while I sit and ogle the P. Mauriat vintage style models, the Cannonball Raven finishes, and the Selmer prestige, I can noodle on the old horns for a bit longer. At least I'd get my chops back.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Freakalude
Every once in a while, I come across something that gives me a little boot of inspiration. Trust me, it doesn't happen often as my lazy little butt hardly gets anything done. While I dabble in the occasional noodling with the col-erase and keyboard, it happens to be a bit easier once I pop in a jewel-cased compact disc. Forget, for a second, that most people are buying all sorts of tunes online in bits and packets, there's still that satisfying crinkle of plastic as you break open a freshly bought album.
Well, I made the trek to Best Buy (poor Tower) and grabbed a couple of discs I've been meaning to procure (reviews to come later) and have been dropping them intermittently with all the other goodness that usually goes on. While I've been pretty satisfied so far with the money spent, one of these artists deserves a premature special mention for what's currently bumping through the headphones.
The Basement Jaxx, those British gentlemen, have long been a strong contributor to all those dance musicks that you probably have heard but never had the idea of who they are. I give them a nod, not because Crazy Itch Radio happens to be their latest, but also because each record is just a little more insane than the last.
You've got your trippingly popular tracks such as " Where's Your Head At" amongst others, they never disappoint be when they shred the ones and twos with some particularly palatable and schizophrenic beats. While the previously mentioned single stands out on Rooty as an pop standard, the handily plural beats of "Crazy Girl" happen to be more infectious. The same defiant unwillingness to retread the same old trip-hop/hip-hop beats stand out on this latest one in both " Hey U" and "Smoke Bubbles" that you might actually think to yourself, "What would possess any professional artist to sample these sounds?"
Honestly, it's something I find fascinating and inspirational enough to attempt to apply in whatever you might do on your own. Why should I still want to write the same old stories and draw the same old superheroes when breaking out with something never seen before is so much more satisfying.
For this, I submit that you should give it a listen. If anything else, you'll have a reason to shake a fist in my direction for the bad suggestion if you don't enjoy it.
Well, I made the trek to Best Buy (poor Tower) and grabbed a couple of discs I've been meaning to procure (reviews to come later) and have been dropping them intermittently with all the other goodness that usually goes on. While I've been pretty satisfied so far with the money spent, one of these artists deserves a premature special mention for what's currently bumping through the headphones.
The Basement Jaxx, those British gentlemen, have long been a strong contributor to all those dance musicks that you probably have heard but never had the idea of who they are. I give them a nod, not because Crazy Itch Radio happens to be their latest, but also because each record is just a little more insane than the last.
You've got your trippingly popular tracks such as " Where's Your Head At" amongst others, they never disappoint be when they shred the ones and twos with some particularly palatable and schizophrenic beats. While the previously mentioned single stands out on Rooty as an pop standard, the handily plural beats of "Crazy Girl" happen to be more infectious. The same defiant unwillingness to retread the same old trip-hop/hip-hop beats stand out on this latest one in both " Hey U" and "Smoke Bubbles" that you might actually think to yourself, "What would possess any professional artist to sample these sounds?"
Honestly, it's something I find fascinating and inspirational enough to attempt to apply in whatever you might do on your own. Why should I still want to write the same old stories and draw the same old superheroes when breaking out with something never seen before is so much more satisfying.
For this, I submit that you should give it a listen. If anything else, you'll have a reason to shake a fist in my direction for the bad suggestion if you don't enjoy it.
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