Recognize This Guy?

It's Jonathan Lipnicki. Yes the cute little kid from "Jerry Maguire" (and for those real film buffs, "Like Mike"). I wanted to watch just the first few minutes, but I ended up watching the whole thing (which turned out to be a little over 2 hours). I really like this movie for many reasons. First, this kid was just so cute. I love his little facts, his lisp, and his over-sized glasses. Second, the film reminded me of the respectable Tom Cruise. I actually believed that Tom Cruise was a sports agent capable of making any girl fall in love with him. It was a glimpse into the past that I only wish he continued.
But back to Lipnicki. It's sad to see this kid go to waste. He had roles in other films including the "Stuart Little" films and "Little Vampire." Other than that, he's been M.I.A. and it's absolutely sad to see child actors take this road. Let's hope he's not getting a DUI (like Haley Joel Osmont). Let's also hope that Abigail Breslin has a better career than this cute kid. Then again, I guess that's all he is (or was): a cute kid that won us over for being exactly that...cute.

What's On Your Desktop?

When you have 8 hours of lecture everyday, your mind tends to wander. I thought about a lot of things other than the difference between apoptosis and necrosis. But mainly I just looked at other people when I came upon this strange image. The person in front of me was surfing the internet when his desktop appeared and it was a picture of himself. There's no Grand Canyon, family, friends, or even the Mona Lisa. It's a picture of him in his room and probably taken by himself. Sure, I occasionally put a picture of Aegean and me on my desktop, sometimes a nice art piece, but I have never put just a picture of myself. Do I need to remind myself of what I look like, if that mirror stopped working? Do I want others to see my picture on a computer, if my real face wasn't good enough? Am I narcissistic beyond belief? I'd like to ask this person what's the goal of putting his face on his desktop because I don't understand.

Oh, Britney!

What was that? After weeks of hype and build-up to this night, Britney did not deliever. Not only did she not deliver, it didn't seem like she cared. 50 cent looked confused, Rhianna was laughing, and Criss Angel wishes he never got involved. I did not understand what that performace was. Although I do like the single, I hope that her reps tell her to remain out of the spotlight and let the album speak for itself. This did not get me excited for the album. Instead, I just felt sorry for her. It was supposed to be a glorious return. Instead, it was a sad sight to see. Right now, Federline is laughing.

Feist Rocks

There are a lot of female singer-songwriters out there right now that are just trying to break in. I had the opportunity to check out Selina's favorite singer (and potential friend forever) Meiko Lee when I was in Los Angeles, and I was very impressed. Her songs were full of earnestness and longing, and her voice matched that. But sad to say, I was even more taken back by Leslie Feist (formerly of Broken Social Scene) who is now headlining her own tour with Broken Social Scene. It was a pretty amazing concert, primarily because of her voice. Although she has an amazing stage presence and her songs are just much better in terms of lyrics and production, it is the voice that truly dumfounded me. She's been working on her craft for years now, especially incorporating more of a country/folk sound into her songs. Those years have paid off and I enjoyed every minute of the concert. Sure, Meiko, Rachael Yamagata, Sara Bareilles, and all those other female singer-songwriters are young and new to the craft. But they should always look to their elders for inspiration

Pixar is #1

I think we can all agree that Pixar is the best movie studio out there right now. I think we can all agree that they haven't made one single bad movie (feature or short). It's pretty disgusting when you think about it. How can 1 movie studio be that good?

Let's take "Cars," for example. Here's a movie about a NASCAR hot-rod that get's lost in the middle of no where and ends up re-thinking his life. A stupid premise...yes! But how well executed is this movie. It's been playing again and again on Starz and watch it every single time. I notice new things, like the expression in the cars especially their eyes. I look for the lighting tones against Lightning McQueen especially during the racing scenes. This is such a good movie.

We'll save "The Incredibles" for another entry (one of my favorite movies of all-time), but I absolutely love Pixar and am desperately looking for their earlier short films to enjoy this company even more.

A Letter from Lindsay

I have made many mistakes in my life from making out to Bruce Willis to "I Know Who Killed Me." But the funny thing is that film companies still hire me. I don't know who is more stupid: me or them. I haven't had a hit since "Mean Girls" nearly four years ago and I'm still considered a legitimate actress, "the finest of my generation." Robert Altman hires me. And Jane Fonda respects me. Wow! I don't know what I did to deserve this acclaim. Was my faux British accent in "The Parent Trap" so good that it rivals Rene's Bridget Jones? Or was it my ability to channel a hermaphrodite (Jamie Lee Curtis) in "Freaky Friday"? Those roles were before I became "fire-crotch" and I'm still reaping the benefits to this day. I love Hollywood!

Eddie Murphy

I hated "Daddy Day Care." I liked "The Nutty Professor." I hated "Dr. Doolittle." I liked "Coming to America." It seems that for every Eddie Murphy, there is one movie of his that you just hate. It's funny that Murphy was in line to get the Oscar for "Dreamgirls" when he got beat out by Alan Arkin from "Little Miss Sunshine" who was the second best Supporting Actor in that movie. It's probably because for every good thing that Eddie Murphy does, there's something much worse.

It seems like Eddie Murphy was back in the spotlight for something other than those terrible family movies that he used to make. "Dreamgirls" was supposed to resurrect his career and make him a legitimate actor again. Then he did two stupid things: 1) Make "Norbit" 2) Deny he had a baby with Scary Spice. I can understand the denial of Scary Spice's child (who really wants to be associated with the Spice Girls?) But "Norbit"? What was he thinking? I've seen some bad career moves by comedic actors ("Number 23" with Jim Carrey comes to mind) but "Norbit" was just a big paycheck. Maybe the Academy was right by not giving him the Oscar (They try to reward serious acting and I don't really get that feeling with "Norbit.")

Simpsons vs. Family Guy

"The Simpsons Movie" was the number one movie this weekend. It seems there are a lot of fans out there for the movie (70 million dollars worth of fans to be exact), but as I was watching this bootlegged version of the film I thought about a possible "Family Guy Movie." I've had this debate with many people before and I still believe in the Simpsons. I've come to see a formula in every "Family Guy" episode and I can predict where the episode is going. The characters are predictable and the jokes are very predictable. I still think it's very funny, but predictable.

I can't say the same for "The Simpsons." And although I haven't been watching many recent episodes, I still think it's pretty original for a show that's been running for 18 years. I have to tell this story to show that professionals also agree with me. When I went for this Q&A with Charlie Kaufmann, he said that the hardest thing he's ever had to do was to write a script for 1 episode of "The Simpsons." Coming from a guy that wrote 2 of the most unusual (and best) screenplays ever in cinema is a pretty good compliment.

The Beckhams Are in Los Angeles

Who Cares? America hates soccer and still get confused when Europeans call it football. It is an exciting sport...sure. But it's only exciting every 4 years when the World Cup is on for three weeks. Yes, they are beautiful and wealthy and extremely arrogant, so I guess it's only fitting that they're here. But is it really necessary for us to give them that much attention. Surely, Paris Hilton is off doing cocaine (when she says she has never done drugs...does anyone believe that?) or Lindsay Lohan is also pretending to be a "good girl" (probably to distract people from how bad her new movie looks). I guess it's just a rough patch for celebrity gossip.

Live Free or Die Hard

It's hard to imagine 50 year old Bruce Willis still playing John McClaine of NYPD. But it was a lot of fun to see him try. It was a good movie and, like the old episodes of "24" and last year's "MI:3," a exciting and entertaining. Despite all this, the movie was disappointing because it's not a "Die Hard" movie. If anyone who loves the original will remember, John McClaine is confined to one building and is only one man with the odds against him at nearly impossible. To see him get out of that mess alone is what "Die Hard" is all about. Unfortunately, in this movie, he moves all over the place from Washington to Baltimore to Jersey to fight a cyber-terrorist bent on destroying the world. This is not a "Die Hard" movie, but more like a James Bond film. Nonetheless, thank you to the bootleggers who provided a decent quality DVD that was aired on the local channel.

Tonight is "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" on Channel 4.

Bootleggers

I've always been a fan of movies, but being on this stupid island has robbed me of the opportunity to watch the summer plethora of films, including "Transformers" and "Live Free or Die Hard." When someone introduced me to the website, movieforumz.com, I was deeply excited at the chance to finally watch these films in DVD quality, thinking someone leaked DVD screeners and posted those on the net. When I checked the website to watch "Ocean's 13," I got a Chinese version with Chinese subtitles taken off a videocamera. Sadly, I was very disappointed.
In the new age of digital technology shouldn't even bootleggers be armed with HDTV cameras and an appropriate microphone system. Can't they go to a screening when there will only be 2-3 people when the chance of someone walking in the front of the camera will be kept to a minimum? Also, if I wanted a laugh track, I'd watch a sitcom. So hearing someone laugh when Seth Rogen calls "Munich" one of his favorite films is not the movie experience I wanted. Should I complain? I guess if you've been to the Arclight, there is no other movie experience like it.

Nobody Reads My Blog

I haven't written on this thing for years. Probably because I'm in medical school and barely have time to talk to my own girlfriend than write on a blog that no one ever reads. I had a golden age of Bloggers just a year ago. I wrote on it everyday, people posted comments, and In-N-Out of Hemet was on it's way to the Pantheon of great blogs. But now, after not writing in it for over 5 months, people have moved on to cooler blogs that talk about everything from great Pho restaurants to why Britney Spears hasn't had a new CD. In reality, no one cares, but it's just nice to have something to read while at work and in front of a computer.

The iPhone

It's funny to see people wait outside for days to buy a phone worth $500 before you start to wonder, "How do these people actually have $500 to buy this phone?" Regardless, I can sympathize with what they're trying to buy. The iPhone is an amazing product. After watching the demo on the Apple website, I really think it's a revolutionary machine. But this also makes me wonder...When will the second generation iPhone come out? or the Mini iPhone? or the shuffle iPhone? Apple has always been on the cutting edge, but for someone with a second generation iPod that still works, why would I spend another $400 for a new one? Don't wait for days to get the iPhone when you can wait for a few months and buy an iPhone without a line, with better features, and probably a cheaper price tag. It boggles my mind sometimes...By the way, I just bought a new Macintosh Powerbook, 80 gB video iPod, and am on the wait list for the iPhone.

The OC Season 4

It's a good show in retrospect. I remember when this show was so hot. All the girls loved Seth's geeky comic-loving personality while the guys were heads over heels with Mischa Barton. (I was always more of a Rachel Bilson fan) But the show slowly lost and audience. People say that it lost its mamba because it was moving away from what it was good about...beaches, surf, and good looking people. But these people are wrong because the show was never about that. It was a soap opera in primetime that goes down so easy like a good Patron shot. I've had an opportunity to watch the show's final season and I really liked what they were doing. It's sad not to have the show and have something so easy to watch, especially when Lost (disappointing till the end) and 24 was such a mess this season. I'm going to miss Summer and Seth, Ryan and all the Cohens. It's a good show in retrospect that I'm sad to see go away.

Arcade Fire

Even though I'm far away from civilization and located in a place with #1 songs like "Helicopter" and "Tourbus," I managed to download the new Arcade Fire album. I absolutely love it and continuously listen to it when I study, run outside, or sitting alone in my darkened room due to the numerous blackouts. It's not so much the lyrics (although they are very intuitive and captivating). It's the sound. It's so new and unusual, mixing organs, bells, and whatever they can get their hands on. It's absolutly engaging and I can't wait to see them live again. If you think the album sounds good on a CD player (does anyone remember this antiquated form?) or an MP3, the live tracks will blow your mind. Check out this wonderful article from the New Yorker (http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2007/02/19/070219crmu_music_frerejones)

24 Again...

I wrote a blog earlier stating that 24 is getting better with each season. I spoke too soon. We're only at the 10th hour and 24 has already begun recycling old ideas and storylines. Blackmailing a poor woman with her son's life (Jack did that whole scene in the entire first season). How about attempting to remove the president from office via assasination? (They already blew up Air Force 1 and tried to remove David Palmer from office twice) I'm getting really sad at the prospect of seeing such a good first 4 episodes be ruined by the next 20. I do enjoy seeing James Cromwell (except does anyone believe that he looks like Kiefer Sutherland or is as tall as Kiefer is?), but other than him this season is becoming such a drag. Nonetheless, I still look forward to every Monday night.

The Best Office

When did "The Office" become the best show on television? (It isn't when 24 and Lost decided to suck it up in the past couple of weeks) But "The Office" has such a unique chemistry that works on every episode. Unlike the original UK version, "The Office" with Steve Carell has branched off and create television that is truly unlike anything else. Without a laugh track and the typical sitcom style of "Friends" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" ( I never did like that show), the writers have decided to take a new approach to the show radically different from its first few episodes. It's decided to let some cast members write episodes, moved outside the Office location, brought new actors, hired celebrity directors (Joss Whedon and Harold Ramis), and let the cast loose from its chains. It is the only show on television that I cannot live without. It always makes me smile, sometimes empathize, and realize the future of Comedic television lies in their hands.

Dixie Chicks Still Suck!

Let me preface this by stating my hate of the Dixie Chicks before any of their Bush tirades.

With that said, i still hate the Dixie Chicks and by giving them the Best Album grammy, the Recording Academy has just prolonged their careers four years longer than it needed to be. I like the album. It's very toned-down and much better than the country albums of Rascall Flats and Tobey Keith and Tim McGraw (when you write songs about BBQ stains on your white t-shirt, you're asking to be made fun of). And much of the album's strengths is because of producer Rick Rubin and not the Dixie Chicks themselves. But it's not the album, it's their whole, "I'm better than you" attitude. Natalie Maines trotted up on the stage, quoted Nelson from the Simpsons, and rubbed it in our faces that they won the grammy. Do you think the album would have won if they hadn't spoken out and be ostracized from their country music audience? Absolutely not!

Highlight What?

I don’t understand what people highlight sometimes. You get a range of people who use the highlighter for different reasons. Some people normally have one highlighter: the basic neon yellow. Then you have the highlighter fanatics, carrying their different highlighters of different colors and sizes. I can understand two colors, but five is pretty unbelievable. Is hot magenta really necessary? But most of the time, it’s not how many highlighters that people have that irks me. It’s what people highlight. Sometimes you highlight an interesting phrase or important keyword. But if it’s in bold, why do you need to highlight it? Show some restraint! The highlighter is to highlight. What’s the point of highlighting the entire book? Is it to show that everything is important? Or is it because highlighting makes it look pretty? Either way, it annoys me.

Snubbed by the Academy...not really!!!

After the Academy Award nominations are announced, there are always a lot of complaints of "being snubbed." Well, the truth is that those that were snubbed weren't good enough. Not to say that the product isn't good (as we'll see that the academy will still recognize those aspects of the movie that were good). In the case of "Dreamgirls," the movie just isn't the best thing in the world, but there are aspects of it which are good. Jennifer Hudson (whose over-the-top performance isn't that spectacular when compared to Eddie Murphy) and all the artistic aspects are recognized. Although I was a bit surprised by Sascha Baron Cohen not getting nominated, the film was nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

If you're not buying my reasoning here, I guess you can think of the Academy as a bunch of racist Jews. Which will explain why "Dreamgirls" did not get nominated for Best Picture? And will also explain why Cohen didn't get nominated for his anti-semitic Borat. Solution: Get the NAACP involved!!!!!

24

24 is probably the best show on television (minus the year when Lost had its first season). But there is a caveat to that statement. 24 is the best show for 12-13 episodes. In these episodes, you get the drama and all the thrilling moments. After those episodes, it recycles itself (from past seasons), wastes time (Kim gets caught in a lion trap), and becomes pretty unbelievable (does Jack ever eat anything?). With all that said, I do have to say that the writers are getting better every year with this past season opener being probably the best ever. It's season 6 and by this time, Jack should be around 65 years old. Yet, he still is following the president, shooting down his own people, and wearing those tight shirts.

Rain on an Island

Being on an island is a good and bad thing in film/television. For instance, in "Lost," rain comes and goes, but mostly, during intense and thrilling moments, the rain just keeps coming. It beams off Mathew Fox as he's wrestling the stranger or falls down Naveen Andrews as he's holding a dead Shannon. After living on an island for almost a week, I can say that rain just comes down.

In "Pirates of the Caribbean," which was filmed in Dominica the island I'm staying in now, rain comes down I believe only once in the beginning before the wedding. I really didn't like that movie so I don't truly remember or even care, enough to tell you that island life in Hollywood is pretty much like everything else: not real.