All of you with hearts aflutter over the Oscar nominations, please raise your hands
What?? No hands in the air?? What kind of Americans are you people anyway, if you can't even get excited about this morning's Academy Award nomination announcements.
Okay, perhaps I'm being too cynical. Perhaps many of you really are interested in Hollywood's political and celebrity awards shenanigans. Personally, I haven't gone to a theater to watch a movie in something near two years. It's just so much easier and more "user-friendly," to let Netflix send me the films I want to see. A heck of a lot cheaper, too.
As a result of my sheltered lifestyle sitting in front of this computer instead of munching over priced popcorn in an uncomfortable theater, I really know almost nothing about the Oscar nominees. I've heard or seen trailers on TV about "No Country for Old Men" and "Sweeney Todd." I'm a Johnny Depp fan (who isn't) and I'm a Tommy Lee Jones BIG TIME fan, so I'm happy they got the nod for best actor contenders. I'm delighted that Laura Linney got a best actress nomination. She's one of those actresses about whom I've always said, "Oh, yeah, HER ... yeah, she's really good, isn't she?"
As for all the rest of it, I simply don't know or don't care. Crass of me, I guess. I've always enjoyed Hollywood as a concept, especially when I was growing up in rural Nebraska and movies were my only window on the world. But I've never lost a minute's sleep over what Hollywood thinks I think entertainment should be. Good luck to all you Oscar nominees out there. For what that's worth.
[tags]Oscar nominations, Hollywood and our culture, entertainment news, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Celebrities — who needs ‘em? Well, most of us think we need ‘em
I met a friend of mine at the coffee shop this morning whom I hadn't seen in a year or more. I congratulated her on the good news she shared: She just snagged a full professorship as a psychology prof. I could not resist kidding her about that -- something along the lines that we don't need her kind, because we have Tom Cruise and his friends to teach us all about the human psyche.
She has a good sense of humor and resisted the urge to smack me alongside my obnoxious balding head.
Our discussion took off on that, though, and she make some interesting points: If I need a mechanic, I'll find one -- I probably won't take my car to Tom Cruise or Paris Hilton to fix it. Likewise, if I need psychological advice, political advice, or whatever guidance, I probably would go to someone more qualified than Tom Cruise or Ms. Hilton.
If I want to know about being a celebrity, I would not go to the mechanic or the psychologist -- I would go to Tom Cruise or Paris Hilton. Celebrities know a great deal about being celebrities -- but no more than most of us about psychology, mechanics, or brain surgery.
Yet our society is built around a cult of celebrities which gives the rich and famous a nod on any topic they wish to proclaim. Often, thanks to the entertainment tabloids and late-night talk shows, the celebrities themselves seem perplexed at the questions they're given to pontificate on.
Come on, people, let's leave the Tom Cruises and Paris Hiltons alone and let them live their lives. Take your cars to the mechanics and your psyches to the psychologists and psychiatrists.
Ah, well, what do I know? I'm just a guy who reads the papers
[tags]celebrities, Tom Cruise, Paris Hilton, psychology, psychiatry, celebrities, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Fun follow-up on that ‘Kingston Trio’ song classic about Boston’s MTA
A few days ago, I made reference to the pioneer folk music group, "The Kingston Trio," and their classic comedy song, "M.T.A." -- about the man who never returned but will ride forever beneath the streets of Boston.
Happily, it seems that the guy has made it out -- he was discovered riding, and riding, and riding, when the Bostonians did their infamous "Big Dig." Well, not really, but a reader out there sent me a link to a hilarious update on the song. Take a look. It was funny and it was fun. (Thanks again, Rob, for sending me that link.)
[tags]Kingston Trio, Boston's "Big Dig," just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Kudos to these parents who raised this young man of faith who knows how to think
Our local newspaper today ran an opinion column written by a 14-year-old who lives in a small town near here. The writer, Dylan Wyatt, did such a great job of presenting an extremely mature, well thought out expression of his Christian faith that I had to share it with you.
Young Wyatt was speaking about the hysteria among so many American conservative Christians concerning the so-called "satanic" or "demonic" influences of some recent books and films, specifically the "Harry Potter" books and films and the film "The Golden Compass" and the book series related to it. In Wyatt's opinion, the whole approach is wrong. In his words:
I was 10 years old when I first read "The Golden Compass." It is filled with child abductions, violence and plots to kill others, but also scenes of great compassion and selflessness. "Satanism" was not apparent to me. Truthfully, the first time I even thought about Satanism and "The Golden Compass" was very recently when I read an article that suggested how satanic the movie was. While the author's anti-spiritualism is very real, I do not believe that Satanism is present in "The Golden Compass." Was "The Lord of the Rings" filled with Satan? "Harry Potter?" "The Chronicles of Narnia?" All were tales of good vs. evil. But Satan?
Elsewhere, Wyatt expresses his concern that many who accuse these and other books and films of satanic or demonic influence have never read the books or seen the films, but are forming their opinions on what others have told them.
But the beauty of Wyatt's opinion, I think, is his view of the whole issue:
I have heard from my pastors time and time again that, "God puts obstacles in your way to strengthen your faith." If this book is truly satanic, we should be able to read it, think about it and deepen our faith as a result through discussion and debate. But to criticize without reading the book and watching the movie (which was a poor adaptation of the book, in my opinion) is intellectually lazy and dishonest.
If you want to debate, you need to know your facts. Do your research. Read the book! See the movie! Then take a closer step toward God.
I congratulate Dylan Wyatt's parents. I applaud his pastors, his teachers, and his friends. They appear to have raised a young man of faith who has a quality mind and isn't afraid to think with it. Hooray for them and hooray for us all. Teenagers like him renew my confidence in the future of our nation (and our Christian faith).
Ah, well, what do I know? I'm just a guy who reads the papers.
[tags]faith and reason, satanism, film, literature, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Any opinions about the do-it-yourself television writers?
I'd be interested in what your opinions are about those television people who have tried to "bypass" the writers' strike and get back on the air? I've only watched a couple and I was surprised, personally, at the quality of what I saw.
I have watched a couple of Jay Leno's "Tonight Show" efforts, and this evening I watched a rerun of Jon Stewart's "A Daily Show" from last night. What surprised me the most was 1) both did very well for doing their own material, but, 2) Stewart didn't seem as comfortable and didn't seem to be as funny as Leno.
Leno was a standup comic for many years and did, I think, all or at least most of his own comedy routines. So it was easy to believe he'd do well.
But Jon Stewart didn't do nearly as well as I expected him to. He, too, did some standup (I think?), as well as some minor acting. Besides that, he's one of the most inherently witty people and political commentators I've ever seen on TV. Well, at least I THOUGHT he was -- but maybe it's been the writers all along.
Nah, Stewart was probably just having a bad night. Everybody's a little off sometimes.
Hurry back, writers, please.
[tags]television writers, writers' strike, Jon Stewart, Daily Show, Jay Leno, Tonight Show, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Keeping up with video technology really seems impossible
Well, I now feel just about as old as a caveman: I still remember when black-and-white televisions were the norm, and now Sony has released a OLED television -- and someone's already selling the $2,000+ little darling on eBay.
Now, I'm not entirely clear what "OLED" means, but it stands for "Organic Light Emitting Diode" technology. I haven't had the time to research what that is. Perhaps some "techies" out there could comment on this post and enlighten us? I know it has something to do with millions of dots, or pixels, per square inch -- or square something? -- that deliver incredibly crisp, quickly refreshed images.
Which would be good to have, since the TV only has an 11-inch screen.
So at this point, you won't need to outfit your home with home theater lighting to enjoy a widescreen, in-theater experience with it, will you? In other words, it's just an electronic gadget or toy for those who have too much money on their hands at the moment. But of course, every technological revolution has to start somewhere, and it usually starts with something small that captures our imagination and then our money. Just look at the iPod and iPhone and you'll know what I mean.
It'll be awhile before I'm up to speed on this, and before the price drops anywhere near my range. Which is probably why I've given up all hope of keeping up with the many high-tech revolutions and/or cutting edge equipment. I'll just keep watching my antique RCA and tap, tap, tapping along on my 3-year-old Toshiba laptop.
Ah, well, what do I know? I'm just a guy who reads the papers.
[tags]Sony OLED TV, home theater lighting, high-technology, television, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Gotta feel sorry for Lindsay Lohan, at least a little bit — or maybe I’m just soft hearted?
If you were to press me on the matter, I probably couldn't tell you what films Lindsay Lohan has appeared in, much less how the course of her rehab has gone. But, really, shouldn't we give her at least a little bit of a break -- she reportedly "fell off the wagon" and drank while she was celebrating New Year's Eve.
I've never had a drinking problem (though my father was an alcoholic), I've never smoked a cigarette, and I've never undergone any sort of drug treatment. But I've lived long enough and known enough people with addictions to know this: It ain't easy to end ANY sort of addiction. If it were, they wouldn't be ADDICTIONS, would they??
So let's back off a bit, give the young woman a chance. I should think it would be both a blessing and a cursing to have the access to money and both good/bad things as she and other celebrities do. Hopefully, she'll get it right.
[tags]Lindsay Lohan, alcohol abuse, alcohol treatment, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Oscar Peterson, greatest jazz pianist of all time, dies at age 82
If you're a jazz piano fan, you may already have heard the sad news: Oscar Peterson died today at the age of 82.
I only regret that I never saw Peterson play in a live concert. I have probably more than 20 of his CDs, ranging from remastered versions of his older stuff from the 1950s to more recent live concerts in Paris from the 1990s. If you ever heard Peterson, especially if you ever got to watch him either live or on television, you know why I say he was the greatest of all jazz pianists. He dominated the keyboard. He made the keyboard come alive. He played so well and so majestically that it almost wasn't human -- you'd swear as you listened and watched him that the piano had disappeared and the music was coming straight from his soul, through his heart, into his hands and on into your innermost being. His artistry fills you with unspeakable joy that God has created such a thing as jazz piano music.
I swear, watching and listening to Oscar Peterson, that the man must have had at least eight fingers on each hand to totally control the keyboard as he did.
We who loved his music so will sorely miss Oscar Peterson. But, oh the joy, that he played among us and left such a majestic body of music behind!
[tags]Oscar Peterson, jazz piano, greatest jazz pianist, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Queen Elizabeth’s 1957 Christmas message launches ‘Royal Channel’ at YouTube
Here's a real kick for those of us who keep up somewhat with the royal crowd in England: Queen Elizabeth II and the British royalty have launched the Royal Channel on YouTube.
I'm a historian at heart -- I actually finished all the course work for an M.A. in history but never did the comprehensive exams and seminar paper requirements. So I really love the idea of getting access to some historic videos.
But I'm NOT a "royals watcher" caught up in the tabloid mentality that keeps resurrecting Princess Diana's death weekly for 10 years. I think much of the gossip mentality that shadows the British throne and everyone related to it is downright depressing.
But a "Royal Channel" on YouTube seems like it could be fun and fascinating. Go take a look for yourself.
[tags]British throne, British royalty, The Royal Channel on YouTube, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Boxing fan? Get your tickets for the big Marquez-Pacquiao rematch in March
If you're a boxing fan, you'll want to get in line (so to speak) early for a royal battle coming up in March -- Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez are set to do it again March 15 in Las Vegas. Boxing fans won't soon forget the brawl in May 2004 in which Pacquiao knocked Marquez down three times in the first round of their featherweight championship bout, only to see Marquez battle back and have the match end in a split draw decision.
According to a report from ESPN about the upcoming battle, Pacquiao seriously considered moving up to challenge lightweight titlist David Diaz, but decided instead to stick around for a Marquez rematch. The fight is set for the Mandalay Bay Events Center. If you want to be there, and need some great seats, you can find excellent pacquiao vs marquez tickets online from Team-One Tickets.
Looking ahead from Marquez-Pacquiao II, there are rumors of bigger things coming. Should Pacquiao win, the rumors say, he will move up for the Diaz fight. And if he were to win that, the same rumors hint at a possible Pacquiao meeting with Oscar De La Hoya in September in what would be billed as the Golden Boy's career finale. Who can say? Stranger things have happened in the boxing world, provided the timing and the money are good to go.
Ah, well, what do I know? I'm just a guy who reads the papers.
[tags]Marquez-Pacquiao II boxing rematch, boxing, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
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