Friday, April 30, 2010

"Deep Thoughts" by Sean Pamphilon

I'm watching ESPN's 30 for 30 episode about Ricky Williams right now, and while the content is interesting and it gives a great first-hand account of why the polarizing athlete is the way he is, I can't get past the director. Sean Pamphilon is behind the camera asking the questions of the interviewee and commenting throughout the program, but all I think about when he speaks is the voice of SNL's "Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey" skits. I keep thinking he is at some point going to finish a monologue with how he took his kid to what he said would be Disneyland, but instead was a burned down building and how although the child was sad the joke was appreciated deep down by both.

Check This Out

The two people who check this blog out not only already know what I am about to talk about, but one of them is directly involved in it, but I'm still going to bring it up. My buddy James is on a trip to the Holy Lands right now and he is writing down his experience. If you are interested then go to thejamesmiller.wordpress.com.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Lost Prediction Updates

As each week passes and we come closer to finishing the phenomenon that is Lost, I will continue to see how close I come with certain guesses at how the show will end and what will happen with episode cliffhangers. So let's see where we stand.

Jack becoming the new Jacob: Considering his conversation with Sawyer about feeling a void when he left the island the first time and choosing not to go home on the submarine with the rest of the group, it looks more likely that he is staying behind. I'm feeling more confident in this prediction.

The rest of the Oceanic 815 group and friends leave: With Sawyer, Kate, Hurley, Sun, Jin, Claire, and Lapidus all being held at gunpoint at the end of "The Last Recruit" this idea doesn't look good, but they will get out of this somehow. Sawyer will probably talk them out of it if I had to guess.

Desmond hit Locke to get him with Jack: That happened just as I guessed it would. Might not have been a shocking guess to get right, but still was good of me to put two and two together. Now how does Desmond know that doing all these things is going to get the results he wants, I have no idea.

Smoke monster takes form of dead on the island: Nailed that one. Again, not earth shattering, but still nice to know I am keeping up.

New predictions:
I don't really have any. I am pretty confident Sayid did't kill Desmond and probably even let him out of the hole, but that is probably obvious. The real question is what is going on inside Sayid. I really don't know anything about that.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Got A New Job

The title says it all. I got a new job working at the corporate office of Colonial National Mortgage. It might be just temporary though, so I could be back in this position again soon. We will see.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

My LOST Prediction

As the sensational series Lost is wrapping up its final story with the battle between good and evil coming to a head, I wanted to get down on paper what I believe will occur in the end. I truly don't expect this prediction to actually turn out to be correct, but it will be fun to see how close I come. This should go without saying, but the following is going to contain some spoilers. So if you haven't seen up to the episode "Happily Ever After" then don't read on.
Okay. After last night's episode of Hurley becoming a leader on the island and even lying to members of his group in order to get his way, Desmond is taking initiative in the flash-sideways world by getting members of Oceanic 815 to see memories of their lives on the island (despite never really ever being on the island in that particular timeline), and Jacob's ultimate wish to find a replacement among the candidates to watch over the island now that he is gone.
My overall guess as to what the ending is going to be is that the flash-sideways timeline will merge back with the original timeline. The fact that Desmond, Hurley and Libby have had visions of the original timeline makes me believe that is where they belong. I think Jack will become the island's protector as he has fought so hard to not believe in fate or that the island is where he belongs, but his being a man of science is coming to an end and he will ultimately be the man of faith who makes sure that the smoke monster cannot leave the island like Jacob did before. The rest of the Oceanic 815 group and friends will leave the island after stopping the smoke monster's plans.
As to why Desmond hit Locke in the flash-sideways timeline from last night, I think it was to get him in the hospital where Jack will perform surgery on him, saving his life, which will get their memories kickstarted just like Hurley's did when he kissed Libby.
I also think that smoke monster can take the form of people who die on the island such as Christian Shepherd (Jack's dad) and send people on tasks that they think are for the greater good. Take for example when John Locke went in Jacob's cabin but the ash circle had been broken and Christian was inside to tell him he needed to bring back the Oceanic Six and he would have to die to do it. I believe that was smoke monster getting Locke to do what he needed in order to then take his form later.
With that belief, I think Michael showed up last night to get Hurley to do what he did so the plane wouldn't be blown up and to get the rest of the people smoke monster needed in order to leave the island.
We will see how I do on these predictions as the final episodes play out. I will update as each week passes with how close I am coming to being accurate or way wrong (which will likely end of the latter).

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

A Look At The Past Super Bowl Halftime Shows

Just finishing Super Bowl XXXIX where the New England Patriots sealed the validity of their dynasty after beating out the Philadelphia Eagles, I started pondering how the halftime shows have changed since the 2004 Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction disaster. The following is a list of shows the NFL has put on in the past decade during the halftime of each Super Bowl, a brief description of the show, and how enjoyable it was.

2001:
The theme of the show was The Kings of Rock and Pop and it featured Aerosmith, 'N Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly. First of all we need to focus on whether these really are rock and pop royalty. At the time, 'N Sync and Britney Spears were about as big as you could get, but the combination of them with Aerosmith, Mary J. Blige and Nelly is just awful.
The song selection included "Bye, Bye, Bye," "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," "It's Gonna Be Me," "Jaded," and "Walk This Way."
The idea of combining big names to create an even bigger event may work for some concerts, but that doesn't mean the producer (which in this case was MTV) should pile acts that have no business sharing the same stage. Sadly, up until Jackson's epic costume blunder this would be a pretty common theme for the Super Bowl halftime show.

2002:
U2 was the sole act to pay tribute to the 9/11 victims with "Beautiful Day," "MLK," and "Where the Streets Have No Name." It was a simple, somber and great show that included the names of those who died from the terrorist attacks on a giant backdrop. Clear Channel Entertainment produced this concert, and it was their only such event before forming into Live Nation in 2005. In 2009, Sports Illustrated's website, SI.com, ranked the show as the best in Super Bowl history.

2003:
Producers Jimmy Iovine and Joel Gallen brought together three random acts for Super Bowl XXXVII. Those performers were Shania Twain, No Doubt, and Sting. The songs included "Man! I Feel Like a Woman," "Up!," "Just a Girl," and "Message in a Bottle."
A forgettable concert that proves by trying to do too much and appease multiple music fans, it instead alienates more than it attracts.

2004:
MTV was given another chance to produce the halftime show, whose theme was Rock the Vote, and the television network was up to their old tricks by bringing together Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, P. Diddy, Nelly, and Kid Rock. Songs heard were "All for You," "Diddy" to the tune of "Mickey," Hot in Here," "Mo Money Mo Problems," "Bawitdaba," "Cowboy," "Rhythm Nation," and "Rock Your Body" (which resulted in the infamous wardrobe malfunction).
Personally, not one song on the set list had me tapping my foot, let alone singing along with, during the performance. Despite the undistinctive concert, it ended up being the most talked about moment of the big game.

2005:
The greatest thing to come out of Jackson and Timberlake's "accident" was the downsizing of acts for each show. Since 2005, every year has featured only one performer or band per game (if you don't count a marching band with Prince). The same two producers have been used for each year as well. Don Mischer Productions was selected for 2005-2009 and White Cherry Entertainment shared responsibilities in 2007-2009 and worked alone in 2010.
The first year was Paul McCartney, who was considered a safe choice. McCartney's song selection was "Drive My Car," "Get Back," "Live and Let Die," and "Hey Jude."

2006:
A year after a Beatle took sport's biggest musical stage, the second most popular band to come out of the United Kingdom was selected. The Rolling Stones played "Start Me Up," "Rough Justice," and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." Fallout from the wardrobe malfunction was still taking place as a five-second delay was put into use for the performance and lyrics were censored for sexually explicit lyrics, which was agreed to by the band prior to the show.

2007:
Prince shared the stage with the Florida A&M University Marching 100 Band for Super Bowl XLI. The music heard during the event included "We Will Rock You," "Let's Go Crazy," "Baby, I'm a Star," "Proud Mary," "All Along the Watchtower," "Best of You," and "Purple Rain."
The stage was in the shape of the symbol Prince is known best by outlined in lights. Audience members were also given flashlights to shine on the stage during "Purple Rain." Following the performance, music critics considered it the best show in the history of the Super Bowl.

2008:
Super Bowl XLII began what could be called the Senior Citizens Trilogy of Halftime Acts. The show selected in 2008 was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The upbeat and energetic show featured "American Girl," "I Won't Back Down," "Free Fallin'," and "Runnin' Down a Dream." The performance kicked off the band's world tour and was later nominated for an Emmy Award.

2009:
Second in the "Old Man's Three-Year Show" was Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. The group put on a hokey NFL-themed show that included a referee coming on stage to throw a flag for "delay of game" as the show was running long. The Miami Horns and a gospel choir were included in the theatrics. Songs included "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out," "Born to Run," "Working on a Dream," and "Glory Days."

2010:
The Who is the most recent group to take the Super Bowl halftime show stage, playing a medley of "Pinball Wizard," "Baba O'Reilly," "Who Are You," "See Me, Feel Me," and "Won't Get Fooled Again." For the first time since 2000, no crowd was allowed around the stage on the field.

So what does 2011 hold in store for the Super Bowl halftime show? Will it continue the "grandfather" acts by booking The Eagles or a similar performer or will those in charge take a chance on a fresher, more youth-friendly singer/band.
I personally have no problem with the groups who have been selected in the last six years. I am hoping the same decisions are made for many years to come.

Monday, April 05, 2010

Ranger's Opening Day Memory(s)

I'm sitting here enjoying MLB's Opening Day while watching the Rangers battle the Toronto Bluejays with my wife. Baseball's Opening Day is a special feeling in all sports fans' lives and today's experience could only be better if we were actually at the Ballpark watching. But Joanna made hotdogs and we have the windows open so a breeze comes through the living room. We've created as close a feeling to the real deal as we can.
One humorous moment from the bottom of the second inning was when Vladimir Guerrero was up to bat. Going into the break prior to Vlad's at bat Joanna was saying how she couldn't muster the appropriate sensation that a fan should have for a new player (which was somewhat understood due to Vlad being an Angel for so long). She said she just couldn't bring herself to cheer for the guy.
That was short-lived, however, because once Blue Jay pitcher Shaun Marcum pegged Vlad in the back she was screaming at how blatant it was Marcum was aiming for the Ranger's clean-up hitter. Her turnaround was quite amazing, but that is what makes sports such a beautiful and pleasurable hobby.

8th Inning Update:
Watching Neftali Feliz on the mound today, I was really expecting the same electric feeling the young pitcher from the Dominican Republic gave the audience every time he threw the ball last season, but this is not that same feeling. I'm not sure what is happening, but Feliz has only struck one guy out, he walked another, and a third batter slugged it into left field. Pitching coach Mike Maddux has even had to come talk to the power pitcher who is supposed to be our eighth inning shutdown pitcher.
Well Feliz has now been pulled out after another single that scored the winning run. I hope it was just Opening Day jitters that had Feliz so shaky. We'll see.

9th Inning Update:
Woohoo Nelson Cruz! What a game!

Post-game Update:
HELLO WIN COLUMN!!! This was a great Opening Day. They weren't getting any hits but they hung in there and stuck with it. Barring any injuries or other kind of setbacks out of the team's control, this should be a great season.

Thursday, April 01, 2010

A List For Me

Since I have a readership of one here at Have Blog, Will Travel (that being myself), I am not too worried anyone will waste their time reading this post. However, should you stumble into my world and be reading this I wanted to warn you that this list is not going to be that important to anyone but me.
Turner Classic Movies announced they are holding a film festival later this month in Hollywood with many films like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Casablanca being screened. While I don't plan on attending a screening, despite my total desire to see a classic or two on the big screen, I started thinking about all the older films I have seen that originally were released either before my time or when I was too young to remember and/or care. So I decided to put down on electronic paper the movies I have seen at special screenings that are important to me. The list is in no particular order.
I will be updating this list as I see fit.

Dr. No
From Russia With Love
Goldfinger
Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Live and Let Die
The Man with the Golden Gun
The Spy Who Loved Me
Moonraker
Casablanca
Yojimbo
A Fistful of Dollars
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Sabrina
The Breakfast Club
Alien
Some Like It Hot
It's a Wonderful Life
A Christmas Story
The Godfather
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Citizen Kane
White Christmas
Dial M for Murder (in 3D)
Planet of the Apes
The Third Man
When Harry Met Sally ...
Sunset Boulevard
Jaws
La Grande Illusion