Yours truly made a bold and brilliant gambit -- I picked all four No. 1 seeds in this year's NCAA tourney to reach the Final Four. Lo and behold, it came to be! I am a genius and proficient prognosticator!
Well, not really... first off, I did my picks about an hour before the end of the day and then flew off to San Jose and San Francisco for some client work. So, zero thought process on my picks. Secondly, all I really did was look at each game and, 99 percent of the time, pick the higher-seeded team. Lastly, that's not exactly an original strategy; most casual fans of the NCAA tourney use the same "methodology" to make their picks as well.
So why should you care? Well, for starters, this is the first time ever (EVAH) that the Final Four features all No. 1 seeds advancing to the dance. Also, for those of you aware that on May 10 I have an event of important import, I have a chance at winning my share of a $500+ pot in an NCAA pool at work. So if you want shrimp cocktail at my nuptials, you'll be pulling for a UNC/UCLA final.
Otherwise, it's Chex Snack Mix for all...
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
I am so frakkin' excited!
Just one week until the "BSG: Season 4" premiere... and to think, it all started with Dirk Benedict and "By Your Command."
Thursday, March 27, 2008
They come in threes
News items (courtesy of IMDB.com):
- 3/18 -- Director Anthony Minghella Dies at 54: Director Anthony Minghella, who won an Academy Award for directing the 1996 epic The English Patient, has died at age 54, his agent announced today. Variety reports that a spokesman for Mr. Minghella said he suffered a brain hemorrhage on Tuesday morning at Charing Cross Hospital in London, while in for a routine neck operation.
- 3/19 -- Oscar Winner Paul Scofield Dead at 86: British actor Paul Scofield, who won an Oscar for his performance as Sir Thomas More in the 1966 film A Man for All Seasons died of leukemia on Wednesday at the age of 86.
- 3/24 -- Actor Richard Widmark Dies: Hollywood actor Richard Widmark has died at the age of 93. The Minnesota-born star enjoyed a career spanning more than four decades, during which he made over 70 films.
And so the morbid and often-quoted maxim of celebrity death -- "The come in threes" -- proves out once again (yes, this is a ghoulish entry)...
What's interesting about these three deaths, tho, is the symetry of careers and profile of all three of these gentlemen. Minghella, who (as noted above) is probably best known for his epic adaptation of Michael Ondaajte's "The English Patient," was a singular auteur and film visionary who, because he was not as prolific as some of his contemporaries, was probably overlooked on most people's list of great writers and directors. But I challenge you to find me someone who take books as esotreric and literary as "The English Patient," "The Talented Mr. Ripley," and "Cold Mountain" and make them into films that are a feast for the eyes and compelling films to boot.
And if you really want to be wowed by a director's vision, track down a DVD of his production of Minghella's mounting of "Madama Butterfly" in 2006 at the Met in NY (here's the New Yorker's review from October of '06 -- http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/10/09/061009crmu_music).
Paul Scofield, a contemporary of the mid-20th century English master actors like Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Alec Guinness, and Ralph Richardson, is the answer to a trivia question (along with seven other actors): Who has won an Oscar and a Tony Award for performing performing the same role on film and stage? Scofield took the honors for his portrayal of Sir Thomas More in "A Man For All Seasons."
Although not as well-known as his contemporaries, Scofield was a giant of the London stage, and was called by many the finest actor of his generation, yet stayed out of the spotlight. The playwright Arthur Miller (The Crucible, All My Sons, Death of a Salesman) considered him to be the finest English-speaking actor. To most people, he's probably best known for playing the patrician father of Ralph Fiennes' character in "Quiz Show" or the ghost of Hamlet's dead father in Mel Gibson's version of "Hamlet"... Had Scofield been more self-aggrandizing (like Olivier or Gielgud, for example), he would probably have been a giant of the American film scene as well. The Boston Globe's Mark Feeney wrote a great appreciation of Scofield's career here -- http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2008/03/21/a_man_for_all_seasons_was_an_actor_for_all_roles.
Lastly, Richard Widmark was a virtually unknown radio actor when he made his explosive debut in "Kiss of Death" as, well, a lunatic (see the original 1947 version and not the late '90s remake with David Caruso and Nicholas Cage). Widmark would go on to star in some 40-odd other movies, including westerns, noirs, and historical dramas (his prosecuting attorney in "Judgement at Nuremberg" saw him go toe-to-toe with Spencer Tracy and Burt Lancaster), and became a reliable presence for both tough-guy and hero roles.
Funnily enough, Widmark, who was nominated for a supporting Oscar his role in "Kiss of Death" but lost to Edmund Gwenn (who won for his portrayal of Santa Claus in "Miracle on 34th Street"), was also Sandy Koufax's father-in-law. The AP wrote an appreciation of his life and career here -- http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080327/ap_en_ce/obit_widmark_12.
RIP gentlemen... your talents and contributions will be missed, but will live forever in our memories and DVD players.
- 3/18 -- Director Anthony Minghella Dies at 54: Director Anthony Minghella, who won an Academy Award for directing the 1996 epic The English Patient, has died at age 54, his agent announced today. Variety reports that a spokesman for Mr. Minghella said he suffered a brain hemorrhage on Tuesday morning at Charing Cross Hospital in London, while in for a routine neck operation.
- 3/19 -- Oscar Winner Paul Scofield Dead at 86: British actor Paul Scofield, who won an Oscar for his performance as Sir Thomas More in the 1966 film A Man for All Seasons died of leukemia on Wednesday at the age of 86.
- 3/24 -- Actor Richard Widmark Dies: Hollywood actor Richard Widmark has died at the age of 93. The Minnesota-born star enjoyed a career spanning more than four decades, during which he made over 70 films.
And so the morbid and often-quoted maxim of celebrity death -- "The come in threes" -- proves out once again (yes, this is a ghoulish entry)...
What's interesting about these three deaths, tho, is the symetry of careers and profile of all three of these gentlemen. Minghella, who (as noted above) is probably best known for his epic adaptation of Michael Ondaajte's "The English Patient," was a singular auteur and film visionary who, because he was not as prolific as some of his contemporaries, was probably overlooked on most people's list of great writers and directors. But I challenge you to find me someone who take books as esotreric and literary as "The English Patient," "The Talented Mr. Ripley," and "Cold Mountain" and make them into films that are a feast for the eyes and compelling films to boot.
And if you really want to be wowed by a director's vision, track down a DVD of his production of Minghella's mounting of "Madama Butterfly" in 2006 at the Met in NY (here's the New Yorker's review from October of '06 -- http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/10/09/061009crmu_music).
Paul Scofield, a contemporary of the mid-20th century English master actors like Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Alec Guinness, and Ralph Richardson, is the answer to a trivia question (along with seven other actors): Who has won an Oscar and a Tony Award for performing performing the same role on film and stage? Scofield took the honors for his portrayal of Sir Thomas More in "A Man For All Seasons."
Although not as well-known as his contemporaries, Scofield was a giant of the London stage, and was called by many the finest actor of his generation, yet stayed out of the spotlight. The playwright Arthur Miller (The Crucible, All My Sons, Death of a Salesman) considered him to be the finest English-speaking actor. To most people, he's probably best known for playing the patrician father of Ralph Fiennes' character in "Quiz Show" or the ghost of Hamlet's dead father in Mel Gibson's version of "Hamlet"... Had Scofield been more self-aggrandizing (like Olivier or Gielgud, for example), he would probably have been a giant of the American film scene as well. The Boston Globe's Mark Feeney wrote a great appreciation of Scofield's career here -- http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2008/03/21/a_man_for_all_seasons_was_an_actor_for_all_roles.
Lastly, Richard Widmark was a virtually unknown radio actor when he made his explosive debut in "Kiss of Death" as, well, a lunatic (see the original 1947 version and not the late '90s remake with David Caruso and Nicholas Cage). Widmark would go on to star in some 40-odd other movies, including westerns, noirs, and historical dramas (his prosecuting attorney in "Judgement at Nuremberg" saw him go toe-to-toe with Spencer Tracy and Burt Lancaster), and became a reliable presence for both tough-guy and hero roles.
Funnily enough, Widmark, who was nominated for a supporting Oscar his role in "Kiss of Death" but lost to Edmund Gwenn (who won for his portrayal of Santa Claus in "Miracle on 34th Street"), was also Sandy Koufax's father-in-law. The AP wrote an appreciation of his life and career here -- http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080327/ap_en_ce/obit_widmark_12.
RIP gentlemen... your talents and contributions will be missed, but will live forever in our memories and DVD players.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Sox Win! Sox Win!
The Sox (or "Sawx" if you're from around here) won this morning's season-opening tilt versus the mighty Oakland A's, thanks to a bomb from Brandon Moss in the ninth and a pair of run-scoring doubles by Manny "Bad Man" Ramirez.
I'm sure that the next 24 hours will see lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth about Dice-K and his so-so performance in the opener (5 IP, 3 R, 5 BB, 6 K, 1 HBP, Ten Zillion pitches) and how "We" overpaid for him and maybe he's just not "that good."
Umm... maybe he's human? Hello? He's pitching in Japan where he was born and raised and made his reputation, in front of thousands of screaming rabid fans, and where he is -- for lack of a better term -- a true ICON and baseball deity. How many of us have the intestinal fortitude, aka STONES, to be able to focus and be cool, calm and collected in that atmosphere with all that pressure?
Say what you want about Dice-K (and, judging from the nitwits who call into WEEI every day, you will), but the guy takes he ball every time and never gives up. Sure, I'd love to see him show that dominating streak he flashed in Japan and in the World Baseball Classic, but the guy won 15 games last season and was a key member of a World Series-winning pitching staff -- WHILE PITCHING IN A COMPLETELY FOREIGN COUNTRY AND LEARNING A WHOLE NEW CULTURE.
I think that if the situation were reversed and we sent Josh Beckett to Japan for a season with the expectations of an entire nation(s) on his back, he'd probably submit a similar resume for his first season as Dice-K. Don't get me wrong -- I love Josh Beckett and believe that his breakthrough last season was the beginning of a dominating career, one that I am excited and privileged enough to be able to see for the next few years.
But let's not forget that in his first year in Boston -- in the country of his birth, speaking the same language and watching the same TV and eating the same food -- he posted a worse overall season than Dice-K.
So lay off Matsuzaka. At best, he shakes off this morning's game and goes on to win 20 to become Randy Johnson to Beckett's Schilling... at worst, he's Ron Darling to Beckett's Doc Gooden.
Either way, the guy's good and is gonna win some games, and maybe even help the Sawx win another ring. I for one will keep watching, and keep cheering for Matsuzaka-san.
I'm sure that the next 24 hours will see lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth about Dice-K and his so-so performance in the opener (5 IP, 3 R, 5 BB, 6 K, 1 HBP, Ten Zillion pitches) and how "We" overpaid for him and maybe he's just not "that good."
Umm... maybe he's human? Hello? He's pitching in Japan where he was born and raised and made his reputation, in front of thousands of screaming rabid fans, and where he is -- for lack of a better term -- a true ICON and baseball deity. How many of us have the intestinal fortitude, aka STONES, to be able to focus and be cool, calm and collected in that atmosphere with all that pressure?
Say what you want about Dice-K (and, judging from the nitwits who call into WEEI every day, you will), but the guy takes he ball every time and never gives up. Sure, I'd love to see him show that dominating streak he flashed in Japan and in the World Baseball Classic, but the guy won 15 games last season and was a key member of a World Series-winning pitching staff -- WHILE PITCHING IN A COMPLETELY FOREIGN COUNTRY AND LEARNING A WHOLE NEW CULTURE.
I think that if the situation were reversed and we sent Josh Beckett to Japan for a season with the expectations of an entire nation(s) on his back, he'd probably submit a similar resume for his first season as Dice-K. Don't get me wrong -- I love Josh Beckett and believe that his breakthrough last season was the beginning of a dominating career, one that I am excited and privileged enough to be able to see for the next few years.
But let's not forget that in his first year in Boston -- in the country of his birth, speaking the same language and watching the same TV and eating the same food -- he posted a worse overall season than Dice-K.
So lay off Matsuzaka. At best, he shakes off this morning's game and goes on to win 20 to become Randy Johnson to Beckett's Schilling... at worst, he's Ron Darling to Beckett's Doc Gooden.
Either way, the guy's good and is gonna win some games, and maybe even help the Sawx win another ring. I for one will keep watching, and keep cheering for Matsuzaka-san.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Deliquent, although not juvenile
Apologies, friends, for not posting for a few days... life, as it often does, interfered with my blogging schedule (such as it is). I'm back now, and ready for action.
So the NCAA tourney has commenced, and I find myself non-plussed by the whole affair, to be honest... as a teenager and a college student, there was no bigger fan of college hoops around. I could tell you not only the names of the starting five of the "almost" undefeated Runnin' Rebels of 1991 but also the name of the booster with the Hot Tub that got them in trouble (Richard Perry) with the NCAA.
As time went on tho, and I moved further from the college scene, I guess college hoops lost some of its luster. Keeping track of 300+ teams and a myriad of players, plus the eventual overexposure of personalities like Dick Vitale, Billy Packer, Digger Phelps, etc... eventually I guess I just found something more worthwhile to occupy my time.
I used to still be able to get interested come tourney time, buying into the "There's no other sports experience like it!"-hype, but even that has waned in recent years. Maybe it's seeing how really mercenary the players have become, or how hard it is to watch the lack of fundamentals (I am old school).
Getting old is an interesting process... sometimes I feel like I am still the same as I was 5, 10 years ago. Other times, like this NCAA thing for example, I feel like I am steadily moving further and further away from my younger days towards middle age. It's like that in politics, too; I used to think that the more liberal, the better. Multiculturalism? YEAH! Political Correctness? YEAH! Apathy or antipathy towards the government and it's role in our daily lives? YEAH!
Now, tho, I feel increasingly like the answer to those questions is "umm... no." And I think it's because I'm starting to realize as I get older that our place in the world and the future that is being shaped by a world that, frankly, doesn't really want much to do with us or, worse, would like to see us go away -- permanently.
So yes, my night table reading is less Sports Illustrated and Entertainment Weekly these days and more non-fiction geopolitical discussions and dog-eared copies of Newsweek. I, for one, think that's a good thing.
Just wish sometimes that more people felt the same...
So the NCAA tourney has commenced, and I find myself non-plussed by the whole affair, to be honest... as a teenager and a college student, there was no bigger fan of college hoops around. I could tell you not only the names of the starting five of the "almost" undefeated Runnin' Rebels of 1991 but also the name of the booster with the Hot Tub that got them in trouble (Richard Perry) with the NCAA.
As time went on tho, and I moved further from the college scene, I guess college hoops lost some of its luster. Keeping track of 300+ teams and a myriad of players, plus the eventual overexposure of personalities like Dick Vitale, Billy Packer, Digger Phelps, etc... eventually I guess I just found something more worthwhile to occupy my time.
I used to still be able to get interested come tourney time, buying into the "There's no other sports experience like it!"-hype, but even that has waned in recent years. Maybe it's seeing how really mercenary the players have become, or how hard it is to watch the lack of fundamentals (I am old school).
Getting old is an interesting process... sometimes I feel like I am still the same as I was 5, 10 years ago. Other times, like this NCAA thing for example, I feel like I am steadily moving further and further away from my younger days towards middle age. It's like that in politics, too; I used to think that the more liberal, the better. Multiculturalism? YEAH! Political Correctness? YEAH! Apathy or antipathy towards the government and it's role in our daily lives? YEAH!
Now, tho, I feel increasingly like the answer to those questions is "umm... no." And I think it's because I'm starting to realize as I get older that our place in the world and the future that is being shaped by a world that, frankly, doesn't really want much to do with us or, worse, would like to see us go away -- permanently.
So yes, my night table reading is less Sports Illustrated and Entertainment Weekly these days and more non-fiction geopolitical discussions and dog-eared copies of Newsweek. I, for one, think that's a good thing.
Just wish sometimes that more people felt the same...
Friday, March 14, 2008
How much is too much?
So it's the end of the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics, and it's pretty clear that not all the atheletes are on baord with the Games (sorry -- I am trapped in an allegorical loop of mythic proportions).
Basically, it comes down to this: How much is too much when it comes to sharing in the world of social media? When does the line between opinion and vitriol get crossed? What is the line where you stop telling people about yourself?
For example, I know that tonight I'll be going to meet up with some friends for Ethopian food in Boston. But in telling the blog-o-sphere that, am I sharing too much? I don't know.
I guess it comes down to how you communicate it. Last weekend, I traveled to Hurley, NY (tip: you can't get there from here) to attend the 85th birthday of my fiancee's great aunt. It was a fun affair, complete with a family band (there's really no other way to describe it) led by the great aunt's son. At my table was a nephew who is a general and thoracic surgeon; nice guy, dry sense of humor, and it was great to meet him. But while we were sitting there chatting, he mentioned that he and his family had their dog fixed.
Except... well, he had a more interesting term. He said "Our dog had her uterus out," to which most of the nine other folks at the table were a little taken aback by. Being a surgeon, he probably thought nothing of it, but for those of us not in the field, it seemed a bit, well, strange.
So when it comes to how much is too much, it really comes down to this: Would you say you had your dog fixed or that you had its uterus removed? I would say fixed, but only because I'm pretty sure 99% of my audience would be made umcomfortable by me saying the other option. But what would you do? When is "full disclosure" full, and when is it just disclosure?
Basically, it comes down to this: How much is too much when it comes to sharing in the world of social media? When does the line between opinion and vitriol get crossed? What is the line where you stop telling people about yourself?
For example, I know that tonight I'll be going to meet up with some friends for Ethopian food in Boston. But in telling the blog-o-sphere that, am I sharing too much? I don't know.
I guess it comes down to how you communicate it. Last weekend, I traveled to Hurley, NY (tip: you can't get there from here) to attend the 85th birthday of my fiancee's great aunt. It was a fun affair, complete with a family band (there's really no other way to describe it) led by the great aunt's son. At my table was a nephew who is a general and thoracic surgeon; nice guy, dry sense of humor, and it was great to meet him. But while we were sitting there chatting, he mentioned that he and his family had their dog fixed.
Except... well, he had a more interesting term. He said "Our dog had her uterus out," to which most of the nine other folks at the table were a little taken aback by. Being a surgeon, he probably thought nothing of it, but for those of us not in the field, it seemed a bit, well, strange.
So when it comes to how much is too much, it really comes down to this: Would you say you had your dog fixed or that you had its uterus removed? I would say fixed, but only because I'm pretty sure 99% of my audience would be made umcomfortable by me saying the other option. But what would you do? When is "full disclosure" full, and when is it just disclosure?
Welcome to my brain... please wipe your feet before entering
As the first entry in my NEW BLOG (now with no trans-fats), I thought maybe it would be fitting to say a few words about me...
Reasonably tall
Have all my hair
Reasonably well-educated
Less than two months from my wedding
Working in PR
This blog will report on all of the above some of the time, but more likely some of the above all of the time. Which is to say that you can expect this space to contain the stupid, the smart, the witty, the profane, and mostly inconsequential details of a life not unlike many of yours.
OK... enough with the intros. Gotta get to work. I am in the Olympics, after all (more on that later).
Reasonably tall
Have all my hair
Reasonably well-educated
Less than two months from my wedding
Working in PR
This blog will report on all of the above some of the time, but more likely some of the above all of the time. Which is to say that you can expect this space to contain the stupid, the smart, the witty, the profane, and mostly inconsequential details of a life not unlike many of yours.
OK... enough with the intros. Gotta get to work. I am in the Olympics, after all (more on that later).
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