funny because it's true

Resolutions for 2012

2012-01-01T22:59:00.000-05:00

1. Cease biting fingernails once and for all.

2. Visit a national park.

3. Write twenty-five pages of anything.

4. Be less frustrated by small issues.

5. Adopt a dog.

6. Help re-elect President Obama.

7. Scan collection of childhood photos.

8. Watch all seasons of Mad Men and Breaking Bad.

9. Donate blood.

10. Complete half of these resolutions by June 30th.

Revisiting 2011 Resolutions

2011-12-31T14:28:00.021-05:00

1. Last six consecutive months without biting fingernails.

[Wish I could say I lasted six consecutive days. Ugh.]

2. Travel outside the United States.

[Spain...check! Morocco...check!]

3. Converse with strangers more often.

[Sure, there were many exchanges while traveling abroad, plus four Midwestern women I chatted up at the Newark train station, but little else throughout the year.]

4. Contribute to D-I-Y Foreign Aid Revolution.

[Another year of Kiva loans, but was hoping to engage in something a bit more hands-on.]

5. Go skiing for the first time ever.

[Nope.]

6. Focus more on U.S. policy, less on U.S. politics.

[It was mostly policy in the front half of the year, but how am I to resist indulging in the slow motion car crash that is the GOP primary?]

7. Go tubing down the Delaware river.

[To be honest, not even sure why I wanted to do this.]

8. Wash Jeep for the first time in over three years.

[And I wonder why the paint is peeling...]

9. Watch Lord of the Rings Trilogy back-to-back-to-back.

[There and back again.]

10. Accomplish more than half of these resolutions.

[Not as many as I had hoped, but any year that involves a trip to Europe and Africa is an incredible year.]

(Original Post: 'Resolutions for 2011')

The Inherent Irrationality of The New York Times Digital Subscription Rates

2011-03-28T13:05:00.007-04:00

Let's assume you're an avid reader of The New York Times and you're considering purchasing one of the new digital subscription plans to counter the paywall being implemented this afternoon. Let's also assume you're interested in maintaining access to The New York Times across all digital platforms - your computer, your smartphone, your tablet reader - as was the case prior to the paywall.

Given these assumptions, the All Digital Access Plan would meet your needs, providing you "unlimited access" to The New York Times across each of the aforementioned digital platforms. The cost of the All Digital Access Plan is $8.75 per week, or $455.00 per year.

Now let's take a look at the home delivery plans currently offered by The New York Times, all of which include the All Digital Access Plan at no additional cost. Specifically, let's focus on the Weekday (Monday-Friday) Home Delivery Plan, which has a regular subscription rate of $7.40 per week, or $384.80 per year.

Do you see the issue? You can either pay $455.00 per year as an All Digital Access Plan subscriber to The New York Times, or pay $70.00 less per year for the same All Digital Access Plan and weekday home delivery of the print newspaper. Thus, the question at hand: why would any rational consumer desiring full digital access to The New York Times ever subscribe to the All Digital Access Plan?

Moreover, the home delivery plans for The New York Times are consistently offered to new subscribers at a 50% reduced rate for the first 12 weeks for those paying with a credit card (the first 8 weeks for those paying by mail), therefore reducing the first annual cost of the Weekday Home Delivery Plan from $384.80 to $340.00 - or $115.00 less than the annual rate of the stand-alone All Digital Acess Plan. And if you're like me and actually prefer the Sunday edition of The New York Times to the weekday editions, the Sunday Only Home Delivery Plan is roughly the same rate as the Weekday Home Delivery Plan, and thus similarly cheaper than the All Digital Access Plan.

There are two caveats to this analysis worth mentioning, one minor and one of more importance. The minor caveat involves the home delivery rates, which appear to fluctuate based on the zip code of the home delivery address. The above calculations are based on my home zip code; interestingly, upon plugging in zip codes from various locations across the country, I never encountered home delivery rates that were significantly greater than my own and often found rates that were cheaper. The second, more important caveat involves the two other digital subscription plans available with The New York Times, namely The New York Times + Smartphone App Plan and The New York Times + Tablet App Plan, which cost $195.00 and $260.00 per year respectively. These two digital subscription rates are obviously cheaper than the home delivery rates I highlight above, and thus it's important to acknowledge the scope of this analysis is limited to comparing full digital access options for readers of The New York Times (as stipulated in the assumptions at the beginning of this post).

Of course, a side-by-side comparison of the three digital subscription plans being offered by The New York Times leads us to a secondary issue, which I would refer to as "app inflation." Setting aside the reality that comparable digital subscription services - including those offered by The Wall Street Journal, Netflix, and Sirius XM Radio, to name a few - tend to include access to all app-based platforms at no additional cost, The New York Times is valuing access to their tablet app at $65.00 more per year than access to their smartphone app, and valuing inclusive access to both their smartphone and tablet apps at $260.00 and $195.00 more per year than access to each of them individually. There's simply no way to characterize this kind of valuation as anything other than exorbitant.

I enjoy and respect The New York Times more than any other newspaper in the U.S., and that is precisely why the inherent irrationality of their digital subscription rates is so utterly disappointing. I'm willing to predict that by the end of this year The New York Times will significantly reduce these digital subscription rates, as well as alter their digital subscription model to eliminate the distinction between access to the smartphone app vs. access to the tablet app (possibly shifting to a more sensible model that differentiates between "computer-only" access vs. "computer + all app" access). At least I hope so, because I'm more than willing to pay for digital access to The New York Times. Just not in an irrational manner.

[UPDATE (03/28/11 - 5:28pm): The New York Times has posted an initial promotion for all three of the new digital subscription plans, which affords new subscribers their first four weeks of digital access for $0.99 total. Given my inclusion of the reduced promotional rates for the home delivery figures cited above, it seems equally important to factor in these reduced rates for the new digital subscription plans. Thus, the first year subscription rates for each of the digital subscription plans are as follows: The New York Times + Smartphone App Plan would be $180.99 for the first year; The New York Times + Tablet App Plan would be $240.99 for the first year; the All Digital Access Plan would be $420.99 for the first year. As you can see, these slight promotional reductions in the new digital subscription plans do little to change the calculus of the larger argument.]

2011 Oscar Predictions & Preferences

2011-02-27T17:18:00.002-05:00

BEST PICTURE
Predicted Winner: The King's Speech
Preferred Winner: Inception

BEST DIRECTOR
Predicted Winner: Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
Preferred Winner: Christopher Nolan, Inception...but since he's not nominated...Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan

BEST ACTOR
Predicted Winner: Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Preferred Winner: Colin Firth, The King's Speech

BEST ACTRESS
Predicted Winner: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Preferred Winner: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Predicted Winner: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Preferred Winner: Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Predicted Winner: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Preferred Winner: Melissa Leo, The Fighter...somewhat begrudgingly

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Predicted Winner: The King's Speech
Preferred Winner: Inception

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Predicted Winner: The Social Network
Preferred Winner: 127 Hours

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Predicted Winner: Toy Story 3
Preferred Winner: Looking forward to seeing Toy Story 3.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Predicted Winner: In a Better World (Denmark)
Preferred Winner: Looking forward to seeing Biutiful.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Predicted Winner: Inside Job
Preferred Winner: Looking forward to seeing Inside Job and Restrepo.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Predicted Winner: True Grit
Preferred Winner: The King's Speech, Inception, and The Social Network are deserving.

BEST FILM EDITING
Predicted Winner: The Social Network
Preferred Winner: The Social Network, with honorable mention for Black Swan.

BEST ART DIRECTION
Predicted Winner: The King's Speech
Preferred Winner: Inception

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Predicted Winner: The King's Speech
Preferred Winner: The King's Speech

BEST MAKEUP
Predicted Winner: The Wolfman
Preferred Winner: Strangest...nominees...ever.

BEST SOUND EDITING
Predicted Winner: Inception
Preferred Winner: Inception

BEST SOUND MIXING
Predicted Winner: Inception
Preferred Winner: Inception.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Predicted Winner: Inception
Preferred Winner: Drum roll...Inception

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Predicted Winner: Alexandre Desplat, The King's Speech

Preferred Winner: Hanz Zimmer, Inception...first soundtrack I've wanted to purchase since There Will Be Blood

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Predicted Winner: 'We Belong Together,' Toy Story 3
Preferred Winner: Please, anything but the song from Country Strong.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Predicted Winner: Day & Night
Preferred Winner: It's a shame I don't watch these.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
Predicted Winner: Strangers No More
Preferred Winner: I'm fine not watching these.

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Predicted Winner: Na Wewe
Preferred Winner: And we're done.

Top Ten Films of 2010

2011-02-27T12:12:00.000-05:00

Inception
The King's Speech
Black Swan
The Social Network
127 Hours
Blue Valentine
Please Give
Shutter Island
Cyrus
The Fighter

[Usual Disclaimer: There are always films I didn't have the chance to see but would like to have seen prior to finalizing this list, and the 2010 bunch includes: Biutiful, Due Date, Hereafter, I Am Love, I Love You Phillip Morris, Inside Job, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, Restrepo, Toy Story 3, Waiting for Superman, and Winter's Bone.]

Resolutions For 2011

2010-12-31T03:07:00.036-05:00

1. Last six consecutive months without biting fingernails.

2. Travel outside the United States.

3. Converse with strangers more often.

4. Contribute to D-I-Y Foreign Aid Revolution.

5. Go skiing for the first time ever.

6. Focus more on U.S. policy, less on U.S. politics.

7. Go tubing down the Delaware river.

8. Wash Jeep for the first time in over three years.

9. Watch Lord of the Rings Trilogy back-to-back-to-back.

10. Accomplish more than half of these resolutions.

Revisiting 2010 Resolutions

2010-12-29T20:10:00.001-05:00

1. End 20+ years of biting my fingernails.

[Lasted 5 months without biting, longest ever. Ugh.]

2. Microfinance through Kiva.org.

[Food vendors in Peru & Uganda. Readying third loan.]

3. Experience a new city with Andrea.

[Boston. More wicked awesome than we expected.]

4. Create detailed outline of book idea.

[Outlining chapters in my head doesn't count.]

5. Have more kayaking adventures.

[Charles River is choppy, crowded, and exhilarating.]

6. No cable television news before 8pm.

[A drastic reduction. Alas, it was an election year.]

7. Increase book reading to a book a month

[Read Zeitoun by Dave Eggers in a single day.]

8. Have more bike riding adventures.

[Need storage space for bikes. Also bikes.]

9. Own a PS3 sooner rather than later.

[Merry Christmas to me.]

10. Accomplish half of these resolutions.

[Boom.]

(Original Post: '10 Resolutions For 2010')

The Choice Couldn't Be Clearer In This Election

2010-11-02T13:00:00.002-04:00

Over the past two years, President Obama & the Democrats have worked to pass a historic slate of legislation. Let's take a look...

President Obama & the Democrats passed emergency measures to stabilize our economy in the face of a depression.

President Obama & the Democrats cut taxes for 95% of working Americans, reducing federal tax rates to historically low levels.

President Obama & the Democrats cut the deficit by $125 billion in their first year, reducing President Bush's $1.42 trillion deficit.

President Obama & the Democrats fostered private sector job growth and small business tax incentives.

President Obama & the Democrats expanded health care first to 4 million children and then to 32 million Americans.

President Obama & the Democrats reformed bad business practices by credit card companies and Wall Street financial firms.

President Obama & the Democrats expanded federal student aid and tripled the scope of AmeriCorps programs.

President Obama & the Democrats passed equal-pay rights for women and hate-crime protections for LGBT persons.

President Obama & the Democrats have spent the past two years working, while Republicans in Congress have spent the past two years obstructing. The choice couldn't be clearer in this election: action vs. inaction, solving vs. stalling, forward vs. backward.

Now go out and VOTE.

Judge Doom

2010-09-01T17:00:00.002-04:00

That is all.

Top Ten Numbers From 1 - 10

2010-08-10T19:05:00.005-04:00

#10.....10

#9.......5

#8.......3

#7.......9

#6.......2

#5.......6

#4.......4

#3.......1

#2.......8

#1.......7

*Inspired by a blog post from Ricky Gervais.
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This changes everything. Again.

2010-06-19T21:49:00.004-04:00

See you soon.

Remember When I Said I Couldn't Find A Good Summer Documentary?

2010-05-21T21:14:00.004-04:00

Found one.

2010 Summer Movie Season

2010-05-06T19:00:00.000-04:00

It's that time again, bla bla bla, start of the 2010 summer movie season, yadda yadda yadda, top ten list of movies, etc. etc., you know the shtick.

Iron Man 2 (May 7)
Robin Hood (May 14)
MacGruber (May 22)
Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time (May 28)
The A-Team (June 11)
The Last Airbender (July 2)
Despicable Me (July 9)
Inception (July 16)
Salt (July 23)
The Switch (August 20)

Upon surveying the list of movies I'd be most willing to see this summer, I can't help but notice a shared trait among nearly all of the selections: ample levels of testosterone. Between Tony Stark, Robin Hood, MacGruber, Prince Dastan, and the entire cast of the A-Team, it's like somebody detonated a million crates of Axe body spray all over Hollywood. Look, it's no secret that the summer blockbuster is tailor made for males in their 20's and 30's who like stunning visuals, loud explosions, and hero-villain-damsel motifs (myself included), but this summer's crop of movies just really seems to be pushing that philosophy further than ever before.

I've searched high and low for a solid summer documentary (I guess Babies looks interesting?), for an early Oscar contender (first year I haven't been able to find one), for a summer movie oozing with originality (last year we had Inglourious Basterds; this year we have sequels to Shrek, Sex and the City, Toy Story, and Twilight...kill me now). That said, I'm certainly intrigued by Christopher Nolan's Inception, I'm excited for Robin Hood to be the Gladiator sequel I always wanted, and I welcome The Switch as the romantic comedy summer date movie for me and my love (I like Jason Bateman, she likes Jennifer Aniston. She also likes Jason Bateman. I somewhat dislike Jennifer Aniston, mainly becomes she seems a bit snobbish, but I'm still willing to see the...what am I talking about again?).

A more pressing issue is the reality that the costs associated with seeing a movie in the theater have skyrocketed some 1000% over the past ten years (completely made that figure up, but probably close). Based on the calculation that spending $1 at a Redbox on a not quite five-star movie is a much savvier decision than spending $25 to see the same movie in theaters (albeit a bit sooner), I'd be surprised if I end up seeing more than half of the movies on this list.

In summation, the 2010 summer movie season may be terrible and you'll probably spend a small fortune finding out. See you at the movies!

Health Care Reform: A Historic Victory

2010-03-31T17:07:00.006-04:00

The DCCC should plan on buying television air time to run this video frequently during the months leading up to the midterm elections.

iBooks: A 21st-Century Reading Experience

2010-03-29T20:10:00.011-04:00

Having never fallen in love with the Kindle - or any electronic book reader, for that matter - I'm surprised by just how affected I am by this guided tour of the Apple iPad's iBooks feature.

For the first time, I get the sense that reading a digital book with the iPad will not only preserve 95% of the positive aspects associated with reading a regular book, but will also expand the reading experience in ways that would never be possible with a regular book.

And that is precisely what consumers should expect from an electronic media reader (whether for books, newspapers, or magazines): all the integrity of the printed version + all the potential of the digital universe.
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President Obama, Thank You

2010-03-23T19:45:00.003-04:00

And The Oscar Goes To...

2010-03-07T00:32:00.014-05:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UPDATE: Let's see how I did: 15 out of 24 correctly predicted (62.5% correct). Not too bad...although I can't say the same for the Best Picture winner. Zing!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BEST PICTURE
Predicted Winner: Avatar
Preferred Winner: Inglourious Basterds

BEST DIRECTOR
Predicted Winner: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Preferred Winner: Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

BEST ACTOR
Predicted Winner: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Preferred Winner: Even though I have yet to see Crazy Heart or A Single Man, I'd prefer a win for either Jeff Bridges or Colin Firth over George Clooney, Morgan Freeman, or Jeremy Renner.

BEST ACTRESS
Predicted Winner: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Preferred Winner: Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Predicted Winner: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Preferred Winner: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds (Best Supporting Actor performance of the decade?)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Predicted Winner: Mo'Nique, Precious
Preferred Winner: Mo'Nique, Precious

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Predicted Winner: Inglourious Basterds
Preferred Winner: Inglourious Basterds

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Predicted Winner: Up in the Air
Preferred Winner: Precious

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Predicted Winner: Up
Preferred Winner: Coraline (Although, I have yet to see Fantastic Mr. Fox, which I hear is...fantastic.)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Predicted Winner: The White Ribbon (Germany)
Preferred Winner: Sadly, I haven't seen any of this year's nominees.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Predicted Winner: The Cove
Preferred Winner: The Cove

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Predicted Winner: Avatar
Preferred Winner: Inglourious Basterds

BEST FILM EDITING
Predicted Winner: The Hurt Locker
Preferred Winner: Precious

BEST ART DIRECTION
Predicted Winner: Avatar
Preferred Winner: I've only seen Avatar, so...one of the other four nominees.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Predicted Winner: The Young Victorian
Preferred Winner: The one about the fashion designer?

BEST MAKEUP
Predicted Winner: Star Trek
Preferred Winner: Star Trek, I guess.

BEST SOUND EDITING
Predicted Winner: Avatar
Preferred Winner: Avatar

BEST SOUND MIXING
Predicted Winner: Avatar
Preferred Winner: Avatar

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Predicted Winner: Avatar
Preferred Winner: Avatar (Notice a pattern in the technical categories?)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Predicted Winner: Michael Giacchino, Up
Preferred Winner: Simply haven't seen (heard) enough of the nominees.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Predicted Winner: 'The Weary Kind,' Crazy Heart
Preferred Winner: Once again, I'm ignorant in this category.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Predicted Winner: A Matter of Loaf and Death
Preferred Winner: Speaking of being ignornant in a category...

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
Predicted Winner: China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
Preferred Winner: Uhh...yes?

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Predicted Winner: Kavi
Preferred Winner: Umm...we're done here.
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Top Ten Films of 2009

2010-03-06T14:06:00.004-05:00

1. Inglourious Basterds
2. Precious
3. Star Trek
4. Avatar
5. (500) Days of Summer
6. The Hangover
7. Coraline
8. Funny People
9. Where the Wild Things Are
10. A Serious Man

The Academy Awards are tomorrow night, and that means it's time to officially lock in my choices for the top ten films of 2009. Sure, most people have this discussion at the end of the year in consideration, but I've always felt that if the Academy is going to hold the ceremony several months into the next year then I deserve that time to see as many films as possible before rendering a final verdict.

And as far as final verdicts are concerned, I feel relatively comfortable asserting that 2009 was one of the weaker years for film over the past decade. More specifically, I'm referring to my impression that there were relatively fewer films in 2009 that will have a lasting presence in the film appreciation portion of my brain, as well as a bit of an uptick in the number of supposed standout films that ultimately left me unsatisfied (See: Up in the Air, The Hurt Locker, Up...or rather, don't see them. I kid, I kid.). Still, there were at least a few truly great films from 2009, including some that have also passed the "Would I want the DVD in my home movie collection?" test (Inglourious Basterds, please!), and several others that, for lack of a better phrase, constitute "the rest of the best" of 2009.

As always, there remains the caveat that I haven't managed to see all of the films from 2009 that I assume have a chance of being among my top films of the year - including An Education, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Crazy Heart, A Single Man, Capitalism: A Love Story, The Road, Zombieland, and others - and, thus, the list above more accurately represents the top ten films of 2009 of the ones I saw.
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Funny or Die's Presidential Reunion

2010-03-03T14:46:00.007-05:00

Funny or Die's Presidential Reunion from Will Ferrell

The first few episodes of HBO's Funny or Die Presents have been at best uneven and at worst unfunny. Thankfully, we have this epic web-exclusive video to reminder us of the brand's original brilliance.

BREAKING: New Sarah Palin Hand Notes Photos Surface From 2008 Vice Presidential Campaign

2010-02-08T18:30:00.007-05:00

[From Republican National Convention Speech, 09.04.08]

[From ABC News Interview with Charlie Gibson, 09.11.08]

[From Vice Presidential Debate in St. Louis, 10.02.08]

Top 3 Best/Worst Ads of Super Bowl XLIV

2010-02-08T12:30:00.018-05:00

Let's face it, this year's crop of Super Bowl commercials were an utter disappointment. It was more difficult than ever to find three ads worthy of being designated "the best", and equally as difficult narrowing down "the worst" from an enormous pile of simply awful advertising (Talking babies? Kooky animals? What decade is this!?). And yet we soldier on, driven by the sheer importance of designating the top three best and worst commercials of Super Bowl XLIV.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
The Best
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

{3rd} Robin Hood: Trailer
Do we need another Robin Hood movie? Probably not. Am I pretending this is
the long-rumored Gladiator sequel I always wanted? Yes I am.

{2nd} Snickers: Hungry
Betty White and Abe Vigoda? In the same commercial!? SOLD!

{1st} Google: Parisian Love
The obvious choice. It's simple, it's touching, and, considering how I use Google somewhere between 25-50 times a day for searches related to just about
every aspect of my life, it's relatable.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
The Worst
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

{3rd} Focus on the Family: Tebow and Mom

Oh look, it's Tim Tebow's mother talking about her "miracle baby," what
a beautiful...and Tim Tebow just tackled his own mother. Awkward.
(Bonus: Head over to the Focus on the Family website to give your brain a free wash!)

{2nd} Bud Light: Auto-tune
A Bud Light auto-tune commercial during last year's Super Bowl: trendsetting.
A Bud Light auto-tune commercial during this year's Super Bowl: embarrassing.
Oh how the mighty advertisers have fallen.

{1st} Late Show: Letterman, Leno, & Oprah
WOW, it's EVERYMAN Jay Leno, the guy that DESTROYED the Tonight Show career of Conan O'Brien, doing a commercial for a RIVAL network's late night talk show!
HA HA HA HA HA, FUN-NY!

2010 Oscar Nomination Predictions

2010-02-02T00:31:00.015-05:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UPDATE: Now that the 2010 Oscar nominations have been announced, let's see how successful my predictions were, shall we?

In what I consider the nine "main" categories - Picture, Director, Acting categories, Screenplay categories, and Animated Feature - I managed to correctly predict 45 out of 50 nominations, or 90% correct (46 out of 50, or 92% correct, if you count my alternate picks). Easily one of my best years predicting the main category nominations since Mr. Cooper and I started these shenanigans many years ago.

So how about my success predicting the nominations for the full Oscar ballot? Well, certainly not as good as the main categories, but a pretty solid showing nonetheless. For the list of 21 categories (which excludes the three Short Film categories), I managed to correctly predict 81 out of 106 nominations, or 76% correct (84 out of 106, or 79% correct, if you count my alternate picks).

As far as my reactions to the nominations themselves, my biggest disappointment was the absence of an Original Screenplay nomination for (500) Days of Summer, and concerning the Best Picture nomination for The Blind Side......well, all I can say is I was blindsided.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With less than eight hours to go until the 2010 Oscar nominations are announced, it's time to lock in my predictions. That's right, my predictions are no longer up in the air, so I won't be a basterd and keep them from you any longer. And these predictions are so precious that I've been storing them inside my special locker until tonight. Also...avatar.

Let's do this.

BEST PICTURE

A Serious Man

An Education

Avatar

District 9

Inglourious Basterds

Invictus

Precious

The Hurt Locker

Up in the Air

BEST DIRECTOR

James Cameron, Avatar

Jason Reitman, Up in the Air

Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

Lee Daniels, Precious

Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

[Alternate: Clint Eastwood, Invictus]

BEST ACTOR

Colin Firth, A Single Man
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Morgan Freeman, Invictus

[Alternate: Daniel Day-Lewis, Nine]

BEST ACTRESS

Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

[Alternate: Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Christopher Plummer, The Last Station

Matt Damon, Invictus
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones

Woody Harrelson, The Messenger

[Alternate: Alfred Molina, An Education]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Diane Kruger, Inglourious Basterds

Julianne Moore, A Single Man

Mo’Nique, Precious

Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air

[Alternate: Penélope Cruz, Nine]

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Bob Peterson, Up

Ethan & Joel Coen, A Serious Man

Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker

Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, (500) Days of Summer

[Alternate: James Cameron, Avatar]

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Damien Paul, Precious

Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air

Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tetchell, District 9

Nick Hornby, An Education

Jesse Armstrong, et al., In the Loop

[Alternate: Anthony Peckham, Invictus]

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Coraline

Fantastic Mr. Fox

The Princess and the Frog

[Alternate: Monsters vs. Aliens]

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Bright Star

Coco Before Chanel

Inglourious Basterds

Nine

The Young Victoria

[Alternate: Sherlock Homes]

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Avatar

Inglourious Basterds

Nine

The Hurt Locker

The White Ribbon

[Alternate: Invictus]

BEST ART DIRECTION

A Serious Man

Avatar

District 9

Inglourious Basterds

Nine

[Alternate: The Lovely Bones]

BEST FILM EDITING

Avatar

District 9

Inglourious Basterds

The Hurt Locker

Up in the Air

[Alternate: Star Trek]

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Avatar

District 9

Star Trek

[Alternate: 2012]

BEST SOUND MIXING

Avatar

District 9

Star Trek

The Hurt Locker

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

[Alternate: Up]

BEST SOUND EDITING

Avatar

District 9

The Hurt Locker

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

[Alternate: Star Trek]

BEST MAKEUP

District 9

The Road

The Young Victoria

[Alternate: Star Trek]

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Avatar

Sherlock Holmes

The Informant!

The Princess and the Frog

[Alternate: A Single Man]

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Almost There,” The Princess and the Frog

“Cinema Italiano,” Nine

“Come Home,” Everybody’s Fine

“I See You,” Avatar

“The Weary Kind,” Crazy Heart

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Every Little Step

Facing Ali

Food, Inc.

The Beaches of Agnes

The Cove

BEST FOREIGN FILM

A Prophet (France)

Ajami (Israel)

El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Argentina)

The White Ribbon (Germany)

Winter in Wartime (Netherlands)

Five Points For President Obama to Address in Tonight's State of the Union

2010-01-27T21:00:00.009-05:00

1. Finishing heath care reform once and for all. President Obama must not only reestablish the sense of urgency in passing health care reform, but he must commit to asserting himself into the final process if Congress continues to delay.

2. Outlining a jobs bill with teeth. Unemployment functions as the core of America's economic insecurity. Learn from the faults of a too-timid stimulus package, and put forth an aggressive policy for achieving real job creation.

3. Course of action for ending Don't Ask Don't Tell. President Obama has been committed to ending DADT for several years now. If I may use a version of his own words, the time for verbal commitments has passed, the time for taking action has come.

4. Spending freeze is more than political theater. If a targeted freeze on domestic government spending is good policy in the current economic state, then make the case.

5. Congressional Republicans have been obstructionists. If the GOP wants to operate as the Party of No, that's their prerogative. It's time for President Obama to call them out on it, and to do so in front of the American people.
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10 Resolutions For 2010

2010-01-18T18:17:00.000-05:00

1. End 20+ years of biting my fingernails.

2. Microfinance through Kiva.org.

3. Experience a new city with my wife.

4. Create a detailed outline of my book idea.

5. Have more kayaking adventures.

6. No cable television news before 8pm.

7. Increase book reading to a book a month.

8. Have more bike riding adventures.

9. Own a PS3 sooner rather than later.

10. Accomplish half of these resolutions.

Note: If you're wondering why it's taken me half of January to post these resolutions, it's because (a) I abandoned social media for the first week of January in support of my wife's one week "digital cleanse," and (b) I'm a procrastinator, which you'll notice I conveniently left off my list of resolutions for 2010.
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2009

2009-12-31T09:59:00.019-05:00

[click an image for link to source]

An all too brief and incomplete recap of what served to
entertain, inform, and occupy my time in 2009.

Christmas 2009 Dessert Preview

2009-12-02T19:14:00.012-05:00

Almost-Raw Honey Cheesecake Bars with Cranberry Topping
[Featured in the November/ December 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times]

The only cooked ingredient in this creamy treat is a homemade cranberry topping. For a fully raw dessert, you can omit the topping and serve the bars plain, or garnish them with berries or sliced fresh fruit.

3 cups raw cashews, divided
1 cup frozen cranberries
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. raw, unfiltered honey, divided
1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup raw coconut oil, softened, plus extra for greasing baking dish
1 cup raw walnuts
1/4 cup raisins
1 cup raw macadamia nuts
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Cover 2 cups cashews with cold water, and soak 3 hours, or overnight.
2. Simmer cranberries, 2 Tbs. honey, and apple juice in saucepan over medium-low heat 10 to 12 minutes, or until cranberries pop. Cool 15 minutes. Pulse in blender or food processor until sauce is thick and smooth. Cool completely.
3. Grease bottom and sides of 8-inch-square glass baking dish with coconut oil. Process walnuts, raisins, and remaining 1 cup cashews in food processor, until mixture begins to stick together. Press into prepared dish, and chill 30 minutes, or overnight.
4. Drain soaked cashews. Puree cashews, macadamia nuts, lemon juice, remaining 1/4 cup coconut oil, remaining 1/4 cup honey, vanilla extract, salt, and 3 Tbs. water in food processor 5 minutes, or until smooth and creamy. Spoon cashew mixture over crust. Spread cranberry mixture over top. Cut through cheesecake with small knife to swirl. Freeze cheesecake 1 hour before serving. Thaw 5 minutes, then slice into 16 bars.

(Per Bar: 308 calories; 6 grams protein; 25 grams total fat, 7 grams saturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 77 milligrams sodium; 2 grams fiber; 10 grams sugar.)
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Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T10:54:00.003-05:00

Be thankful...for homemade pumpkin pie.

Marriage Equality No Longer a Matter of "If"

2009-11-11T11:02:00.001-05:00

It's now a matter of "when." And that is precisely why, even in the face of California's Prop 8, Maine's Prop 1, and all other similarly intolerant state referenda, there is cause for optimism in the pursuit of equal marriage rights in America.
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Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T11:27:00.003-04:00

Let's go Yankees!

"He can sneeze on his own time!"

2009-10-22T14:01:00.006-04:00

I've always said the media meme of Biden as a bumbling gaffe machine is a bit overblown, and it seems the hilarious Onion News Network agrees.

Let the Sunshine In

2009-10-13T11:55:00.013-04:00

A photo and video montage I put together of the National Equality March and subsequent rally held Sunday, October 11th, 2009 in Washington, D.C.

Equality Across America

2009-10-09T23:00:00.001-04:00

See you there.

Is the Media's Excessive Use of Interrogatively Framed Headlines a Bad Reporting Habit?

2009-09-18T16:17:00.016-04:00

Yes, yes it is. Not only does it contribute to the fallacy that every issue can/should be framed as a debate of two equal sides, but it serves as a media loophole for reporting on unsubstantiated topics not worthy of declarative coverage.
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I Don't Want To Say Goodbye For The Summer

2009-09-14T22:19:00.009-04:00

It's beyond official: the 2009 summer movie season is over. Comparatively speaking, I'd say the 2009 season was good (not great), with a few gems surrounded by a largely mediocre slate of movies. Here's a recap of my tweet-size thoughts and grades for the movies I managed to see this summer:

* Inglourious Basterds ~ "Tarantino at his finest." [A]

* Star Trek ~ "J.J. Abrams does it again." [A]

* The Hangover ~ "Very funny...and novel unfolding of story." [A-]

* (500) Days of Summer ~ "Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel well cast." [B+]

* Bruno ~ "A solid follow-up to Borat." [B]

* Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ~ "Mostly a bridge to final films." [B]

* Away We Go ~ "Dialogue tends to overexplain." [B-]

* Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ~ "Overly complicated story." [C+]

* Angels & Demons ~ "Significantly deviates from book, to detriment of movie." [C]

(Plus, a list of summer movies I'd still like to see: Up, District 9, Food, Inc., Public Enemies, Funny People, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Terminator Salvation, Whatever Works, Julie & Julia.)

Nine

2009-08-20T23:13:00.003-04:00

As in "this film is going to be nominated for at least nine Oscars."

Let's evaluate the profound degree to which Nine has "Academy Award nominee" written all over it: producing by the Weinstein Company; directing by Rob Marshall; lead actor Daniel Day Lewis...I really could stop here, and yet...lead and supporting actresses Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz; screenplay writing (partially) by the late Anthony Minghella; adaptation of a successful musical; attractive story elements ("a tortured director," foreign setting, etc.). On the flip side, Kate Hudson and Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson will also be appearing in the film, however (not knowing the details of the plot) I can only assume their characters are minor and/or will die a horrible death...at least I hope so.

[UPDATE: As pointed out in the comments by the Oscar guru himself, Mr. Cooper, it turns out that the 1963 autobiographical film 8 1/2 by Federico Fellini, which served as the inspiration for the musical Nine, was itself a five-time nominee and two-time winner of the 1964 Academy Awards, including a win for Best Foreign Language Film. Case closed.]
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BREAKING NEWS: Twitter Has Flown The Coop

2009-08-06T10:42:00.004-04:00

It is being reported that Twitter has been down for hours now due to "a denial of service attack" on the site. Equally alarming is the disappearance of the magnanimous Fail Whale, last seen being curiously airlifted from the sea by a flock of rope-wielding orange birds (pictured above). Investigators confirm the unidentified birds to be the primary suspects in the Twitter site attack.
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The Flavor Veridict Is In

2009-07-31T23:44:00.004-04:00

The new Rita's Swedish Fish Italian Ice is amazing! As expected, it tastes exactly like the packaged Original Swedish Fish (which, as you can see in the photo above, Rita's was brilliantly handing out along with orders of the new flavor). I never thought I'd have the fortitude to voluntarily abandon the greatness that is Rita's Fudge Brownie Cream Ice, and yet abandon it I did.

And now for the bad news. All of the advertising for the new Swedish Fish flavor notes that it is "For a limited time only." Apparently Rita's giveth and Rita's taketh away, but hopefully we'll have at least until Rita's seasonal closing time in early Fall before this glorious creation departs.
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President Pullman Always Says It Best

2009-07-04T08:55:00.008-04:00

Happy Independence Day!

Sanford and Sun

2009-06-24T18:52:00.010-04:00

The following is a comment I made to my wife yesterday during our discussion of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and his mysterious disappearance:

"I think Sanford is doing one of two things: either he's visiting with his mistress or he's taking a seedy trip to Mexico."

WOW! I'd say I hit that nail nearly dead center! The mention of Mexico was meant to reflect the general idea that Sanford was on some strange, clandestine getaway to South America, so the fact that the country involved was actually Argentina is largely of secondary importance. As I just expressed to @mlshapiro, I think I may be like the precogs from Minority Report, except my abilities only apply to grandiose political scandals.

Thus, I will now use these political precognitive powers to register a new comment: the GOP will continue to wander through the political wilderness for a long, long time.
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Yes, I Can Hear You Now!

2009-06-15T18:47:00.006-04:00

'Broadcasters promise plan to
quiet TV ads by September'

The money quote: "The FCC has been investigating loud ads since the 1960s..."

That's right, the government investigation into loud television commercials is approaching the half-century mark. Wow.
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Obama: "I Will Never Be The Same After Denny's"

2009-06-09T14:10:00.006-04:00

Obama Drastically Scales Back Goals For America After Visiting Denny's

Ideas Worth Spreading

2009-06-04T11:07:00.004-04:00

My wife showed me this video a couple years back and it's never quite left my mind. The speaker is Sir Ken Robinson, a "creativity expert," addressing an audience of educators at the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) 2006 conference. He's like a British Michael Scott (which I guess is technically David Brent), except Robinson is actually quite funny and intelligent. Basically, forget the whole character comparison with The Office and just watch the video.

Top Ten Most Anticipated Movies of the 2009 Summer Movie Season

2009-05-15T21:52:00.007-04:00

Graduate school has finally come to an end, and summer is just around the corner. Thus, the time to return to the movie theater is upon us!

The 2009 summer movie season certainly has the potential to be an entertaining one, even given the release of such embarrassments as Dance Flick (a spoof of the movie Save the Last Dance...seriously) and Rob Zombie's H2 (a Halloween movie in August...seriously). Below I offer my personal picks for the top ten most anticipated movies of the 2009 summer season. It's quite an eclectic mix, encompassing many of the typical summer movie genres - science fiction, mystery, animated, documentary, action, romantic comedy, raunchy comedy, fantasy, drama, Tarantino Nazism. Well, maybe they're not all typical. To the list!

Star Trek (May 8)
Angels & Demons (May 15)
Up (May 29)
Food, Inc. (June 12)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (June 24)
Away We Go (June 25)
Bruno (July 10)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July 15)
Julie & Julia (August 7)
Inglorious Basterds (August 21)

[Plus, a few matinee-worthy selections...X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Terminator Salvation, Year One, Public Enemies, Funny People, Whatever Works.]

Stop The Bullets. Kill The Gun.

2009-05-14T20:31:00.010-04:00

An effective, gasp-inducing ad campaign for an issue of grave concern.
Visit the organization's website here.

Congratulations NYU Graduates!

2009-05-13T09:45:00.006-04:00

In my mind, my master's degree became official on Monday during the NYU Graduate School of Arts & Science graduation ceremony (photos will be posted shortly), but for all those students awaiting the university-wide graduation ceremony at Yankee Stadium today, good luck and congratulations!

The Adventures of Max the Dog

2009-05-06T18:50:00.005-04:00

It's nice how a simple project for a high school advanced video class has become a tribute to my childhood dog, Max. Thanks to a trail of Cheerios, some peanut butter, and a few dozen dog treats, Max was transformed into an amazing actor. As an added bonus, this video serves as a chance to revisit my old house, my old bedroom, my old car, and...well...a younger me.

After some minor editing and enhancement of the original version, I present to you the absurdity that is The Adventures of Max the Dog. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wonder why the "visual effects" were of such hilariously poor quality. But, most importantly, you'll be treated to a brief glimpse of the greatness that was Max.

Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat Presents...

2009-05-06T03:24:00.006-04:00

Two new video entries into the Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat series, edited by yours truly. Enjoy!

When FAIL Meets Feline

2009-05-05T22:24:00.009-04:00

Anything capable of breaking through my stoic composure while riding a packed NYC-bound commuter train is worthy of note. Earlier today, the Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat sent me into an uncontrollable, tear-streaming laughing fit during one such commute. Below is easily one of the best iterations thus far, featuring the already amazing video of Glen Beck's guest passing out during a live broadcast. The unique editing in of "wait for it...wait for it"-style visuals of the cat is simply classic.

The First 100 Days

2009-04-28T22:08:00.006-04:00

View slideshow here.

Disney's 'Loris-atouille'

2009-04-23T22:39:00.007-04:00

When Pixar gets a hold of this video they will have officially found the subject of their Summer 2014 animated movie.

(By the way, that's two animal video posts in a row. New blog theme? No, just a coincidence, fortunately or unfortunately depending upon your perspective.)
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The Blog Is Back

2009-04-15T13:19:00.002-04:00

And so is the squirrel that is desperately trying to live in my home.

Please Stand By

2009-03-15T00:39:00.006-04:00

We are currently experiencing high volumes of master's thesis writing.
Blogging will resume shortly.

We thank you for your patience during this difficult time.

Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good

2009-03-05T22:20:00.010-05:00

The cast of Seinfeld...appearing together...on Curb Your Enthusiasm...multiple episodes...this fall...on HBO...with Larry David...all of them...together......could you excuse me for a moment?

(OH MY GOD!!! YES, YES, YES!!! BEST NEWS EVER!!! WOOOHOOO!!!)

Ok, I'm back. So, yeah, this will be amazing.

Far too often do I wish away entire chunks of the year over television and movie premieres of the near and distant future, but I'm more than willing to state here and now that I truly cannot wait until this fall, when the prospect of seeing Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, and Larry David on screen together is enough to make me rewatch all eight billion episodes of the Seinfeld DVDs (and 60 episodes of the Curb Your Enthusiasm DVDs) I have tucked away in my spare bedroom closet.
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30 Days

2009-03-02T23:10:00.003-05:00

Until my master's thesis is due.

This will either be the greatest academic achievement of my life
or the driving force of my untimely demise. Or both.

To the library!

Life Could Be A Dream

2009-02-26T00:08:00.006-05:00

It's been announced by Universal Pictures that Gore Verbinski (of Pirates of the Caribbean fame) has been selected to direct a remake of the 1985 classic Clue, which in turn was based on the popular board game from Hasbro.

Annnnd, I'm officially psyched.

Assuming Verbinski updates the material with current references (goodbye communism and singing telegrams, hello terrorism and electronic communication), preserves the tone of the original movie (two parts mystery, one part scary, one part comedy), and selects a quality cast (how about bringing along Johnny Depp, or honoring Tim Curry by bringing him back in the fake Mr. Boddy role?), then I think we're in for a real treat.

Or he can butcher the whole thing. As always, I'll be remaining optimistic.

*If you recognize the significance between the title of this post and the movie Clue, then you, my friend, are a true fan.
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Sunday Night Is Oscar Night

2009-02-19T23:12:00.017-05:00

The 2009 Academy Awards have arrived...and so have my predictions!

[UPDATE: 18 out of 24 correct, very pleased. See you next year, Oscars!]

Best Picture
And the Oscar goes to...Slumdog Millionaire.
Don't count out...Milk? Curious Case? Let's face it, Slumdog is a lock.

Best Director
And the Oscar goes to...Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire.
Don't count out...Gus Van Sant for Milk, but again Slumdog is pretty solid here too.

Best Actor
And the Oscar goes to...Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler.
Don't count out...Sean Penn for Milk, in a pretty tight race.

Best Actress
And the Oscar goes to...Kate Winslet for The Reader.
Don't count out...the nomination leader herself, Meryl Streep for Doubt.

Best Supporting Actor
And the Oscar goes to...Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight.
Don't count out...pigs flying, because that's what it would take for Ledger to lose this award.

Best Supporting Actress
And the Oscar goes to...Viola Davis for Doubt.
Don't count out...Penelope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, the perceived front-runner.

Best Original Screenplay
And the Oscar goes to...Milk.
Don't count out...Wall-E.

Best Adapted Screenplay
And the Oscar goes to...Slumdog Millionaire.
Don't count out...a deserving Frost/Nixon not winning.

Best Animated Feature Film
And the Oscar goes to...Wall-E.
Don't count out...did I mention that Wall-E is animated gold?

Best Cinematography
And the Oscar goes to...Slumdog Millionaire.
Don't count out...the visuals of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Best Film Editing
And the Oscar goes to...Slumdog Millionaire.
Don't count out...The Dark Knight.

Best Art Direction
And the Oscar goes to...The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Don't count out...The Dark Knight, again.

Best Costume Design
And the Oscar goes to...The Duchess.
Don't count out...The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Best Makeup
And the Oscar goes to...the old and young of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Don't count out...the Joker's face in The Dark Knight.

Best Visual Effects
And the Oscar goes to...The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Don't count out...you guessed it, The Dark Knight.

Best Sound Editing
And the Oscar goes to...The Dark Knight.
Don't count out...Wall-E.

Best Sound Mixing
And the Oscar goes to...The Dark Knight.
Don't count out...Wall-E.

Best Original Score
And the Oscar goes to...Slumdog Millionaire.
Don't count out...poor Thomas Newman of Wall-E.

Best Original Song
And the Oscar goes to...'Jai Ho' from Slumdog Millionaire, because you can't get it out of your head.
Don't count out...'Down to Earth' from Wall-E (Newman!).

Best Foreign Language Film
And the Oscar goes to...The Class (France), maybe.
Don't count out... the strong contender Waltz with Bashir (Israel).

Best Documentary Feature Film
And the Oscar goes to...Man on Wire.
Don't count out...Encounters at the End of the World or Trouble the Water.

Best Documentary Short Film
And the Oscar goes to...The Witness.
Don't count out...The Conscience of Nhem En.

Best Animated Short Film
And the Oscar goes to...Presto.
Don't count out...La Maison en Petits Cubes or This Way Up.

Best Live Action Short Film
And the Oscar goes to...Spielzeugland (Toyland).
Don't count out...New Boy or The Pig.
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Tweet Tweet

2009-02-18T22:50:00.004-05:00

That's right.

Psyched For Sykes

2009-02-12T23:31:00.007-05:00

She's a woman. She's an African American. She's gay. Definitely not the typical description of the person selected to be the entertainer of the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner (May 9th).

More importantly, she's funny.
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They Don't Look A Day Over 175

2009-02-12T22:04:00.008-05:00

In honor of the "200th birthdays" of President Abraham Lincoln and naturalist Charles Darwin, I urge you join me in reading the following two books:

Combined, we're talking about 1,360 pages...let's get started, shall we?

Confirmed: Joaquin Phoenix Is Disturbed

2009-02-11T23:32:00.005-05:00

And a genuine asshole.
But more importantly, he's clearly mentally unwell.

Monday Musing

2009-02-09T22:18:00.013-05:00

Why is it that if a human being (or dog, cat, raccoon, etc.) were to fall from a height that was 100 times their own height (for example, a 6 foot tall human falling from a 600 foot height), there would be a result of almost certain death for that being, however, if a bug were to fall the same relative distance of 100 times its own height (as often occurs when someone knocks a spider from the top of a wall to the floor below, for instance), the bug not only survives the fall but remains capable enough to rapidly crawl away?

I assume there is a perfectly logical explanation for this phenomenon, involving a physics-based explanation, an entomology-based explanation, or both. Unless there are any physicists or entomologists reading this blog (highly unlikely), I assume my query will remain a mystery to myself and to all those similarly intrigued......so, just myself then.

Kicking Up A Fuss For James Whitmore

2009-02-06T23:08:00.008-05:00

One of the brilliant elements of a brilliant film.

How Does Your Foot Taste, Andy?

2009-02-06T00:30:00.011-05:00

That's right, President Bush's Chief of Staff Andrew Card, who has spent the past few weeks feigning outrage over the "disrespect" of President Obama sometimes not wearing a suit jacket in the Oval Office, just stepped in a big pile of...well, take a look for yourself:

UT OH! Looks like Etiquette Officer Andy believes that President Bush didn't "respect the office of the President" either! AND, it also appears that Card condemns President Kennedy, President Ford, President Reagan, President Carter, and President Clinton as non-suit jacket-wearing heathens, too!

How incredibly ironic it is that Card initiated this little tirade about Oval Office dress codes and the sanctity of our American democracy, both because (a) his boss's administration arguably did more to harm our nation than any before it, and (b) given the vast array of crises our nation currently faces, to be focusing his interviews on suits and ties is ridiculous, pathetic, and insulting.

Kudos, Mr. Card. I hope you're enjoying your epic fail.
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PC Game Night

2009-02-05T23:50:00.000-05:00

I guess the last PC computer game I remember purchasing was Sim Tower (definitely one of my favorites of the Sim series) sometime around the end of middle school/the beginning of high school...so we're talking about 12 years ago. And thus as this anecdotal evidence demonstrates, except for the phenomenon that is MMORPG gaming like World of Warcraft, mass-market consumers have largely deserted PC computer gaming for the more desirable world of console gaming.

That being said, I highly recommend you download the following two PC computer games, ASAP. The first game is Popcap's Peggle, an incredibly addictive 'Snood meets Brick Breaker' type of game with tons of unique levels and game mechanics; also available is the equally fun expansion companion game Peggle Nights. The second game is Blendo's Gravity Bo ne (...must...suppress...immature...joke...), a fascinatingly quirky spy game that can only be appreciated by playing it for yourself; plus, the entire arc of the game takes about 10 amusing minutes to complete, classic dramatic ending included.

And, I've saved the best news for last...these games are absolutely FREE! The direct download link for Peggle is here, for Peggle Nights is here, and for Gravity Bone is here. There are full versions of Peggle and Peggle Nights available for purchase, but the free trial versions offer more than enough gaming fun to last a long while.

Go now and start downloading, you'll thank me later. Oh, I almost forgot to mention...Peggle involves a talking unicorn and Gravity Bone involves exploding birds. Like I said, you'll thank me later.
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And, My Favorite Super Bowl Commercial Was...

2009-02-02T14:02:00.005-05:00

~~~ Careerbuilder.com's 'Hate Work' ~~~
There are very few images that prove to be funnier than the
repetitive punching of a snobbish, coffee-drinking koala.

[Honorable Mention: Monster.com's 'Moose', Bud Light's 'Conan',
Hulu's 'Alec Baldwin', and Pepsi's 'Pepsuber'.]

Great Game

2009-02-02T01:08:00.006-05:00

Way to make it interesting there in the 4th quarter! I was so nervous I almost threw up my nachos, six layer dip, bread, spinach dip, cheese hoagie, iced tea, ice cream cake, cookie, brownie, more nachos...

I need to go to the gym, right now.

P.S. Should the need ever arise to make a movie about Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin (he is, after all, the youngest NFL coach to ever ~~make it to~~ win the Super Bowl), is there really any question as to what actor would play him?

First there was his riveting performance in the underappreciated Love & Basketball...now, Omar Epps prepares for his return to the sports film genre in...Steeler Country, coming soon to a theater near you.

McCaskill in 2016, And Other Political Ramblings

2009-01-30T21:54:00.021-05:00

I've been following Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill since the early days of the Obama presidential campaign, and I think it's fair to say she's a rising political figure within the Democratic Party (check out her statements from the Senate floor today, regarding the disturbing $18 billion Wall Street bonuses, for a glimpse of her sharp political nature). In fact, I think McCaskill as Obama's VP would have been a real possibility, had it not been for the fact that such a pick would have been a sizeable slap in the face to Hillary Clinton; similarly, I think we could have seen McCaskill as an Obama cabinet member, however they likely agreed that McCaskill could server more effectively as a strong ally in the Senate.

That takes us (assuming an Obama reelection in 2012) to the 2016 presidential election, where I believe 10-year U.S. Senator McCaskill (assuming her reelection in 2012) will indeed run for the Democratic presidential nomination. Certainly, her centrist political views, midwestern appeal, and compelling rhetorical abilities could all prove to be beneficial in a presidential campaign (not to mention the fact that she's strikingly similar to the first female president of this season's 24; considering the show's prescience with first African-American President David Palmer, this is hardly something to underestimate). Even more interesting would be the possibility that Hillary Clinton could once again take a shot in 2016 (something I think is very possible given her strong political drive, the potential for long lasting Democratic popularity/Republican chaos, and the notion that she was/is "next in line"...of course, she will in fact be turning 69 years old just one week before the 2016 election, so that could prove to be a potential topic of consideration...and, no, Clinton will not be running in 2012, let's just get over that political suicide fantasy right now). Furthermore, it's becoming more and more apparent that Sarah Palin will be throwing her $800 hat in the ring come 2012 (contending for the honor of 'Most Gimmicky Presidential Candidate', a distinction currently bestowed upon Rudolph "9/11" Giuliani), but maybe she'll stick around for 2016 as well, making it an amazingly gender-infused presidential election cycle.

On a related "politicians to keep your eye on" note, I believe Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey is a political star on the rise. The week of Barack Obama's presidential election win last November, Booker could be seen and heard being interviewed by just about every television and print media outlet. He's intelligent, compelling, and politically responsible for arguably one of the toughest cities in the country...and he's glowingly bald! Even more interesting, Booker will be 47 years old in 2016, which is the precise age of...yep, you guessed it...President Barack Obama. As beautiful as that political narrative symmetry may be, I actually think Booker will spend more time gaining political experience in some other political office (possibly eyeing the someday vacated U.S. Senate seat of Frank Lautenberg, or less likely the NJ governship, either of which would prove to be great campaigns to follow), eventually considering organizing a presidential campaign in, say, 2024.

Oh, how I enjoy making political prediction several decades into the future!

In Fairness, He Used To Play Football There

2009-01-28T23:19:00.011-05:00

I've been meaning to post this news clip for quite some time now, regarding the neighborhood reaction to a closing Philadelphia library.

In truth, I love my public library...a lot. With a full selection of new and old books (print, audio, digital), DVDs (movies, television, digital), music, and video games (both last gen and next gen systems) - all free to borrow for weeks and months at a time - my town's public library is one of my favorite places to go. And when I say "full selection", I'm talking about full: they offer brand new media as soon as it hits the store shelves (such as the three new copies of Artie Lange's bestselling book Too Fat To Fish last fall, a half dozen new copies of the just-yesterday-released DVD of Vicky Cristina Barcelona, two new copies of the obscure Kings of Leon's Only by the Night CD last fall, and new copies of just about every single Wii game released for the system). All this without mentioning the fully electronic library system that allows you to self-scan at the library and reserve/renew online at home. Again, I love my public library a lot.

All that being said...the guy in this video is insane. Hilarious, and spectacularly insane.
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Neither Rain, Nor Snow, Nor Sleet, Nor...Recession?

2009-01-28T22:05:00.007-05:00

'Post Office May Cut Weekly Mail Delivery Days'

Jack and Barack

2009-01-26T17:44:00.007-05:00

A photo of newly inaugurated President and First Lady Obama with musician Jack Johnson and wife Kim Johnson, taken at the Home
States Inaugural Ball where Johnson performed.
Can we say 'best inaugural ball ever'?

Sherlock Begins

2009-01-25T13:25:00.003-05:00

A younger remake of Sherlock Holmes due out this coming November starring a career-on-fire Robert Downey Jr., sounds interesting! And let's see here, it's being directed by......ohhh dear......Guy Ritchie. Hmmm...yeah...so...I'm sure this movie will be...ummm...uhhh...yeah.
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And That's Why You Never Talk Negatively About Arrested Development

2009-01-23T12:40:00.011-05:00

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

I'm sorry Michael Cera, but I had difficulty following what you were saying in this interview. It seems your MASSIVE ego may have gotten in the way, but I think you may have been talking dismissively about one of the greatest television shows ever created that just so happens to be responsible for starting your acting career. You're not some former contestant of American Idol that to further their career has to try and distance themself from their past, you have television roots that deserve honoring. Somebody get this kid a good publicist!

Meanwhile, the always positive Ron Howard has begun to calm things down a bit with an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe today, stating that even though the script is still being written he'd "be very surprised" if the movie wasn't greenlit.

Bottom line, if Cera isn't willing to reprise his role as George Michael Bluth, then I know someone who would be a perfect replacement...

STEVE HOLT!

Why So Serious?

2009-01-22T23:10:00.010-05:00

Can someone please explain to me how the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences were willing to step outside the conventional Oscar nominating boundaries to recognize Robert Downey Jr.'s performance in Tropic Thunder, a role that (for better or worse) unabashedly explores the lighter side of blackface, however those same members were unwilling to recognize either the directing achievement or broader best picture excellence of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, the "comic book superhero movie" that has amounted to something much larger?

Sure, it's nice that the movie still managed to receive 8 other nominations, but those were the two that counted. If it wasn't for the overwhelming likelihood that Nolan is going to be the one accepting the posthumous Best Supporting Actor win for Heath Ledger's brilliant performance, then I wouldn't fault Nolan (and Bruce Springsteen, for that matter) for engaging in some award show shenanigans...might I suggest a swift punch in the face for Mr. Obnoxious himself, Ryan Seacrest?

Ok, you got me. This entire post was designed to lead to the topic of punching Ryan Seacrest in the face. I could have been posting about Dijon mustard, and still it would have lead to this precise suggestion.

Someone punch him, please.
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Humor We Can Believe In

2009-01-22T22:44:00.003-05:00

HIGH-FIVE INAUGURATION! - watch more funny videos

The President of the United States of America Barack H. Obama

2009-01-20T23:10:00.011-05:00

As the chosen song of the evening's inaugural
celebration so succinctly expresses...at last.

On This Eve Of Inauguration Day

2009-01-19T21:50:00.021-05:00

In anticipation of the historic events taking place tomorrow in our nation's capital, I spent a generous amount of my own personal time honoring Barack H. Obama, our 44th president of the United States of America, by......creating absurd Shepard Fairey-inspired posters through the use of the brilliant Obamicon.Me online tool provided by Paste Magazine.

Yes, I know, I'm just that amazing. Enjoy!

NOTE: Some of these posters involve excessively obscure references, making them all the more fulfilling if you know them. And if not, I apologize that you do not waste as much of your time as I do.

[click on poster to enlarge image]

Wyeth's World

2009-01-16T23:11:00.004-05:00

My wife introduced me to Andrew Wyeth's eminent painting Christina's World during our trip to the Museum of Modern Art in NYC sometime ago. I remember becoming an instant admirer of the painting, enthralled by the vast opportunity for personal interpretation of Christina's pose in the field; I had assumed an innocent playfulness between Christina and the other residents of the home, and was intriguingly taken aback by the reality of Christina suffering from a "muscular deterioration that paralyzed her lower body."

Thank you for the art memories, Mr. Wyeth.
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Get Well Soon

2009-01-14T22:38:00.007-05:00

Steve Jobs, humankind needs you. I suggest you instruct your R&D team to begin designing a new iPhone app capable of monitor and adjusting one's hormone levels, allowing you to swiftly return to your post atop the Apple empire. Godspeed Steve Jobs.

Take That, Gender Roles

2009-01-11T00:11:00.001-05:00

Eagles-Giants game during the day. Golden Globes at night. Life is good.

It's 2009

2009-01-01T23:30:00.003-05:00

Let's blog.

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President-Elect Barack Obama

2008-11-05T00:43:00.001-05:00

Pride. Hope. Progress. Change.
Thank you, America.

The Greatest Sight I've Ever Seen

2008-11-04T06:56:00.003-05:00

My wife and I arrived at our polling location at the opening time of 6:00am, and quite frankly we were stunned by what we witnessed.

The voting line was spilling out of the school doors into the parking lot, a parking lot so overflowing with cars that we were forced to park on the main street. Hundreds and hundreds of voters filled the polling location, lines going every which way for each of the different districts. It took us 45 minutes to vote (again, at the 6:00am hour!), which was an admittedly efficient pace given the volume of voters present.

Wake up America, and get to the polls. This day is going to be huge.

My Predictions For The 2008 Presidential Election

2008-11-03T20:50:00.008-05:00

On this election eve, I present the above map of my state-by-state electoral predictions for the 2008 presidential election.

I have Barack Obama winning with 364 electoral votes to John McCain's 174 electoral votes, which would be one of the most decisive presidential electoral victories in quite some time. Some notable state predictions: for Obama, a win in Virginia, North Carolina, Missouri, Florida, Ohio; for McCain, a win in Indiana, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, Georgia.

Regarding the popular vote outcome, I predict the following breakdown:

* Barack Obama - 54%
* John McCain - 45%
* Other - 1%

A more detailed popular vote prediction would include the following limits: a 50% chance of Obama winning the popular vote by 6-10%; a 30% chance of Obama winning by a margin less than 6%; a 15% chance of Obama winning by a margin greater than 10%; a 5% chance of McCain winning by any margin.

There you have it. And now, we wait.
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The Sadness Before The Joy

2008-11-03T19:17:00.003-05:00

'Barack Obama's Grandmother Madelyn Dunham Passes Away'

One More Day...

2008-11-03T00:22:00.002-05:00

Can You Hear Obama Now?

2008-11-02T23:22:00.000-05:00

From FiveThirtyEight.com, a graph showing Obama's national lead in various polls, with the yellow polls involving both landline and cell phone polling while the gray polls only involving landline polling.

Notice a pattern?

I've been saying this since the primary election ended back in June: polling conducted without the inclusion of cell phone lines is no longer an acceptable standard. Not only has cell phone use largely eclipsed landline phone use for people that still own both, but many of the younger generations have stopped subscribing to landline phone service completely (including myself).

Wake up polling industry, before you end up giving another "win" to Dewey.
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Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T00:01:00.004-04:00

And now, I present to you...my Barack O' Lantern!

Defining Race In The (Potential) Era Of Obama

2008-10-30T23:15:00.022-04:00

Just yesterday during my 'Race, Ethnicity, Class, & Gender in American Cities' graduate course, I brought up the exact discussion that New York Times columnist Nick Kristof wrote about on his blog today, regarding the issue of referring to Barack Obama as 'black' or 'biracial'.

Assuming Obama wins the presidential election, I think the public dialogue surrounding this particular topic will grow over the next several months, as the intersection of race and national political representation will have advanced to a new level (not to mention global political representation, as Obama would represent the first ever non-white leader of a western democracy).

My individual perspective is that the issue of racial identification is far from black and white (pun heavily intended), with personal, biological, historical, and societal components all shaping the way individuals and collective groups racially identify themselves. Barack Obama may personally identify most strongly as black, white, or biracial (based on his life experiences), while biologically he is biracial, historically he would likely be considered black, and our present society (in terms of the descriptive narrative of his public life and professional career) has largely characterized him as black. Again, a very complex, multifaceted discussion that I think we'll be talking about a lot more over the coming months and possibly even years.
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BREAKING: Joe The Plumber Is...Missing!?

2008-10-30T15:15:00.009-04:00

Sorry Senator McCain, but he's busy recording his country music album right now. In a related story, exactly how many morons does it take
to run the McCain campaign (into the ground, that is)?

I Approve This Message

2008-10-29T22:36:00.001-04:00

Keep Cool With Obama

2008-10-28T22:44:00.004-04:00

America, we are on the verge of electing the coolest president ever.
Suck on that, Calvin Coolidge.

What Immigration Issue?

2008-10-27T22:01:00.025-04:00

Remember how issues surrounding immigration, whether about driver's licenses or state border fences or xenophobic mass deportation plans, were all the rage during the primary election season? And, remember how political pundits fell over themselves to declare the immigration issue the probable hot topic for the general election season?

Yeeeahhh, not quite.

The immigration issue didn't come up once in any of the general election debates, the candidates haven't raised the issue in any remotely significant way over the past five months, and the media hasn't reported on any major aspect of the issue just the same. Not only has the immigration issue not been a major issue of this general election season, it quite possibly has been the least mentioned issue of any of the tradition election issue topics.

Why, you ask? Here's a few contributing reasons, by my estimation: first, particularly over the past two months, the economy has trumped everything; second, there haven't been any major immigration-related issues recently (there just haven't been any "dangerous" Mexican immigrant-related incidences for Lou Dobbs and Bill O'Reilly to foam at the mouth over); third, the entire stock of "divisive cultural issues" has plummeted this campaign season, with all the hope and positive messages coming from the Obama campaign, forcing other campaigns (read: Hillary, McCain) to take heat for going overtly negative.

To a lesser degree, most of this can also be said about the Iraq War issue, however I think much of the silence pertaining to the war issue has a great deal to do with a country that has largely decided where they stand on that issue: they want out ASAP.
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Ready For Obama

2008-10-25T22:38:00.009-04:00

This single Obama campaign ad currently running involves more substance than the entirety of the McCain campaign over the past two months. Just one of the many demonstrable reasons why Obama is currently winning.

Only a few more days until we find out what exactly Obama will be discussing with his 30-minute advertisement blocks on major TV networks. My guess: one part biography (think Democratic Convention-style), one part substance (like the above ad), and two parts campaign retrospective (to get his supporters fired up for the final stretch).

Stay tuned.
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8 Years Later

2008-10-24T22:54:00.005-04:00

Ok, this is THE funniest election related video I have seen thus far (not to mention the perfect message at the end). By half way through, I had tears in my eyes I was laughing so hard. Yes, the reference is dated, but that is exactly why it works. Brilliant!

'Lost' Season 5 Trailer......Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!

2008-10-24T22:16:00.008-04:00

LOST Season Five Official Trailer #1 - video powered by Metacafe

The Vet Who Did Not Vet

2008-10-24T22:11:00.002-04:00

Creative, smart, funny...perfect.