P. Diddy Idea Man Behind Number One Movie

Ashton Kutcher, star of last weekend's number one movie Guess Who with Bernie Mac, was quoted as saying about the movie, "The idea really came from when I was spending time with Sean Combs and people couldn't figure out why the two of us were hanging out together."
Really, is that where an idea about an interracial dating couple came from? PUFF DADDY! Actually the idea came from a 1967 film called Guess Who's Coming to Dinner starring Sidney Poitier, Kathryn Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. It is rated one of the top 100 movies of all time by the American Film Institute.
Of course, anyone connected to Hollywood in some form would know that. Wouldn't they? Kutcher is in television and movies. He is dating a movie star. He has friends who work in the biz. Wouldn't he be likely to know where the true idea came from about his new movie?
If you would like to see the moronic statement it is located here:
http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20050331/111230814000.html

I'm Going To Have A Reputation

I have been subbing at T. A. Howard Middle School for sometime now and cannot remember the last time I didn't send someone to the office. Today was no different.
During third block a student accidentally yanked a curtain rod down. Another student named Tyler proceeded to call him a faggot. Lawrence, the teen who pulled the curtain rod, was in the process of putting the curtain back in place when Tyler said it again.
First off, don't use that kind of language. It is rude and disrespectful. I can't stand students who aren't tolerant of others.
Secondly, why put the kid down for fixing the situation. I could possibly understand name calling for pulling it down, wrapping it around oneself and prancing around like the Riddler at Arkham Asylum, but not for doing the right thing.
Lastly, that isn't even a relevant put down. Why is he a faggot for ripping down a curtain rod? Is it because curtains are associated with home decor and he, being a male, must be gay for touching something affiliated with interior design? That is ridiculous.
I asked Tyler what he said. He told me the vulgarity that was spoken and I immediately responded by pulling out a referral and letting him know he was going to the office. He didn't protest either. He was rather willing.
Can I go a single day without sending someone to the principal of T. A. Howard. It got so bad one day that I was forced to send nine people to the office. NINE people. NINE. That's right, NINE.
Am I too strict or do I just get the bad classes? Are students just so bad these days that they don't know how to act in a classroom? My child will respect elders, teachers and classmates. If he/she doesn't it's a belt across the face, and when I say face I mean mouth. Just kidding about that last sentence. His/Her punishment will be an injection of enough sleepy cheese to make Sleeping Beauty look like she was taking a power nap.

A Funny Quote

I heard something funny/sad today on an episode from The Shield.

"If a man is shot in the ghetto and a detective never arrives, did a crime ever really occur?"

My Fifth Rant

To put this simply, I have a deep-rooted abhorring for those who don't respect the moment of silence. I have been a substitute since September and have yet to see a class that has every student quiet during the calmness.In my day I would do a quick prayer for the duration of the silence. I would sometimes throw in something about a girl in third period or a Spanish test coming up. You know, the important things God should have to deal with involving teenagers.I'm not asking every kid to pray to God. All I want is for the students to show some consideration of the ones who would like to pray or contemplate on their day. Is that so hard?Some students will chat about their day or what just happened in the previous class. I have heard a few conversations go something like, "Oh my God, and then Billy told me that Kathryn was cheating on him with Chris. So, do you think that means Billy trusts me and confides in me? If they break up do you think Billy will date me?" Not if he finds out you were spilling his life out during the quietest moment of the school day.I want every student to sit in silence for 20 seconds. Am I asking too much? They don't respect me enough to shut up for the other 90 minutes of class. Why would they think about listening to authority for 20 seconds?This leads me into my next rant. The pledge of allegiance. If you aren't doing it, then you don't deserve to be in an American school. I have seen some who just sit in their chairs and not lift a finger during the pledges.If you don't want to pledge allegiance to the Texas flag, okay. I'm not happy with it but I will get over that. However, you are an American citizen partaking in many liberties that are not offered anywhere else. The least you can do is lift your right hand, place it over your heart and utter a few lines of monologue.Teenagers make me sick these days. They don't respect anything and they are worthless until about the age of 17. Then they at least can take my order at McDonald's. Of course, some can't even handle that menial task.If you are a student reading this, please start recognizing the moment of silence as a time to reflect on your day and treat it with the honor and respect it deserves.

Is That A Knock I Hear?

For the past few days I have been doing some work for a guy named Greg. He is the owner of Uplink Communications. He asked me at Beach Reach if I would be interested in doing some work with him during a conference this week. I eagerly, but cooly, said yes.The conference was Congreso. Sounds Mexican doesn't it? Well, it is. It is a conference for Latin American (politically correct version of Mexican) youth and college kids.I was put to the task of videoing random stuff of the kids arriving from their homes, sitting in their seminars and participating in Mission Arlington work at local apartments. I really enjoyed going to the apartment complexes and meeting with administrative personnel who were in charge of the work. I felt like an actual member of the press with my all access pass around my neck and video camera in hand.Friday night was set up as both a church service and a concert. The band who played was Salvador. They are big on the radio for the song How Far is Heaven. I'm not sure which it is. They were pretty good except only about three songs were played in English. The rest of the set was in Espanol. Mateo no habla Espanol, so I didn't understand much of the music. However, I could tell they were having a rocking time.The footage I shot over the past three days was shown today. It was okay stuff. Greg did a good job of editing it all together. My shots were a little long, but I think he was happy overall with the material. He didn't like one part of the video but it was all his footage so I didn't feel too bad about that.Hopefully this is an opportunity for me to get into a more than part-time job. I really enjoyed the stuff I did and I want to learn more about it. I just pray that Greg will use me in the future.

TOC Night 11 And Final Standings

The Tournament of Champions is over and Chad is our winner. Brent wasn't able to show for the final game and a vote was taken. Most said to continue play because otherwise we would never finish. For those who haven't heard yet this is the final scores and the standings for last night.
Last night:
Matt - 1 point
Danny - 2 points
Clint H. - 3 points
Clint M. - 4 points
James - 5 points
Chad - 6 points
Hector - 7 points
Brent - 8 points

Overall Scores:
1st place - Chad - 29 points
2nd place - Matt - 32 points
3rd place - Danny - 37 points
4th place - James - 39 points
5th place - Clint M. - 41 points
6th place - Clint H. - 52 points
7th place - Hector - 55 points
8th place - Brent - 56 points

Tonight Is The Night

Tonight decides the final standings of the first ever Central Arlington Tournament Of Champions. We all know Chad is first, but who will be second? It could be me. I am holding the position by three points. James is currently in third with Danny trailing by only one point. Clint M. has the possibility of nabbing second place, but it is going to take a lot of specific events for that to occur. Brent, Hector and Clint H. are battling for the bottom three. Between the three of them they are one point from each other. Clint H. is a point behind.
After tonight we will have our pecking order of who is the best among our group at a no rebuy, long tournament style of play. Chad is the best, but who will come up right behind him? Hopefully me.

I'm Back

I had a good time in Panama City, Florida. Nothing huge happened. I enjoyed serving in the areas I did. I got to play with a rockin' video camera. I met some really cool people like Abby Moore and Aaron Hill. It's good to be home and if I can think of any individual humorous experience I will be sure to fill you in.

Good News And Bad News

The good news is I am only 100 hits away from using a comma in my site counter. Woo-hoo.The bad news is I am going to be away for a week. I don't know if I will be able to update from Panama City, Florida. I am leaving for Beach Reach today. If I can I will keep you posted.

My Beef With Pop Culture

Yesterday I was engaged in two different conversations about pop culture (t.v., movies and celebrities). The first discussion was with my cousin Mark. We talked about everything from what a cult classic is to what made Seinfeld so great. We had a good time with it and hit a lot of points. The examples of cult classic movies were Rocky Horror Picture Show, the epitome of cult, and Tremors.
The second conversation, encompassing shows like American Idol, The O.C. and the newly broadcast Blind Justice, was with Jaclyn and Brandy. This debate didn't go quite so well.
Something you need to understand about me is I hate pop culture. I can't stand it. People like the Simpson sisters, Paris Hilton, Ryan Seacrest and Ashton Kutcher drive me insane. They are incompetent, useless drones of society. If they dropped off the face of the earth it wouldn't bother me one bit.
Now back on topic. While talking about terrible shows on television they asked what makes pop culture so terrible. I didn't have a very good answer then, so here is a better answer. Jaclyn and Brandy, I hate pop culture because it is directed to the lowest common denominator of society.
These television shows aren't written for the better intelligence of mankind. I'm not saying Seinfeld or The Sopranos is advancing us further into a better future, but I am trying to explain that Newlyweds, The Simple Life, The Real World and most reality television is mind numbing. Do we really get anything out of these shows except something to talk about around the water cooler the next day?
"Did you see how stupid Paris was on her show last night? What's the name of it again?"I can't stand it. To answer your question Jaclyn, yes, I like music from Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra because it has survived the test of time. I also like it because it doesn't address killing a cop, banging a mom or anything of that sorts. Songs from today may last, but does it all fulfill the other requirement of my standards? U2 will. So will Norah Jones. Hmmmm, two good artists. Green Day...American idiots.
Well, to bring this thing to a close. I don't like pop culture because it appeals to the lowest common denominator. Pop culture has brought about such foolhardy items like the pet rock, disco and The New Kids on the Block. However, it has also produced the lava lamp, rock and roll and The Beatles. So I guess it can't be all bad.

TOC Night 10

After taking my bye last week and receiving zero points, I finished this week by averaging 3.5 for the two weeks. That's right folks. Dead last. However, two people showed up 90 minutes late, so I might have finished better than them but we'll never know. Here are the results:
Clint M. - 1 point
Hector - 2 points
James - 3 points
Danny - 4 points
Brent - 5 points
Clint H. - 6 points
Matt - 7 points

Overall:
Chad - 23 points
Matt - 31 points
James - 34 points
Danny - 35 points
Clint M. - 39 points
Hector - 48 points
Brent - 48 points
Clint H. - 49 points

I've Made The Switch

I decided to try a new poker site online. The one I was at was fine. No problems with it. I was at Party Poker. However, James brought to my attention the idea of putting some money into Poker Mountain.
The reason for this is because they are giving a 100% sign up bonus plus a free entry into a $25 tournament. I have to play several hands to win this bonus, but it is worth it. I still get to play poker and I can win a free $500.
I have only one real problem with the site so far. It is either a new site or not many people trust it because I can't find too many players at any one time. The most people on the sight so far have been 98 people. That isn't many. Especially when you are looking to enter a tournament with nine others.
I am up $60 from playing poker and $10 of my sign up bonus. I want to play against T.J. Cloutier or Daniel Negreanu, the sponsors of the site, but I have a feeling their tables are a bit out of my price range.

Worst. Subday. Ever.

The following is a warning. I have had a terrible day and am very pissed off at the students of Brooks Wester Middle School. What is typed on this page cannot be helped. If you are sensitive to vulgar, crude or naughty words and descriptions, please do not read the following entry. Thank you and have a nice day.

I was given three classes and an advisory today. My first class started off grand. Not even ten minutes into class I already had a problem. I noticed a few students passing around a small dry erase board. I could see something drawn on it and naturally it aroused my curiosity. What I saw was a travesty, at least for seventh graders. It was a drawing of a naked woman laying down with her legs spread open. I must admit, past my initial shock I was quite alarmed at how good the drawing was. However that was not the point.
I immediately asked who drew it and a kid named Jonathon fessed up to it. I told him I had to send him to the office. After pleading with me to not write him up he broke down into tears. I made up a half-ass referral and walked him down to the office (another teacher had heard the commotion and come to see what was going on, so she stayed in the class for me). As we went to the office he continued to sob and wail about how his dad was going to kill him. He was genuinely afraid. I would have felt sorry for the kid, but then I realized that would involve applying an emotion to the situation, which is something I lack in this world.
After filling out the paperwork and explaining to the secretary what was going on, I proceeded to go back to class. As I was walking down A-hall I saw the principal of the school escorting three students to her office. The kids were the others who were passing around the picture. Had someone called her down there? She asked me if I was their sub and I answered with hesitation and shame on my face.
I entered class and relieved the other teacher. The rest of class went rather smooth actually. We played a review game for their test tomorrow and they had a lot of fun with it. After about thirty minutes, two of the students from the incident reappeared with passes saying they were excused. The other two had their stuff picked up. Not a good sign. Class went along without a hitch. I actually enjoyed myself.
Advisory went along splendidly. I had no problems with them. They asked me a lot of questions, but other than that they were fine.
Second period might have been worse than the first. This was the class of shitheels. They couldn't stop talking. We played the same review game as first period, but they didn't want to review. Every time two new students went up to answer the question the entire class, sans three or four perfect teenagers, would start yelling, screaming and fighting with each other. I yelled at them so many times to shut up, but they just wouldn't stop.
Two students had such a problem with each other that I had to take them to another class to sit with a teacher who could control them. This class had absolutely no respect for me. I have never seen such a horrid, despicable bunch of assholes in my life.
My last class was not good, but not off-the-charts bad. They talked a lot, so much so that I had to yell several times to be quiet, but past the talking they were okay. I had a lot of students in my last class who were saying they didn't get a review because they were absent last class. I told each one of them I didn't have any extras. They asked what to do, so I said pay attention during the game and write some of these answers down. Did they do this? No, of course not. Instead they jumped around and made fun of the kids who got the answers wrong, yet didn't get any of their answers right either.
After we finished the game, I decided to extend the game because one team was winning by such a large amount. I changed the rules around a bit to give the other team a slim shot of making a comeback. The winning team flipped out on me and started yelling at me. It pissed me off so much I said, "Fine, you don't want to play anymore. Then you can sit there in your desks and study by yourselves."
Once it quieted down a student asked me if I was going to give the answers on the review. I was completely taken aback. The review game was the answers. I was reading questions from the test and these morons weren't bright enough to figure out that fact.
I have taken a vow to myself that I will never sub for Brooks Wester Middle School ever again. It may have been that the class was a coach's class or that these kids are spawns of Satan. Who knows. However, I will not be looking into it any further. I wipe my hands of Brooks Wester.

2005 Academy Award Winners

I did better than last year by one. I guessed 16 correct winners. I should have gone with Millon Dollar Baby for best picture, but Scorcese's lack of winning four previous times blinded my judgement. The better film won which makes me happy.
I missed some of my complete guesses like Short Film - Live Action and Documentary Short Subject, however I got their counterparts right. I also missed both music categories, which is bollocks. Any song that gets more radio play should be the clear winner. Passion of the Christ had a much more haunting and memorable score than any of the other nominees.
Passion of the Christ was the political scapegoat this year. It should have won in two categories, but missed taking an award for all of its options. The score was one of those obtainable categories and the other was makeup. The job makeup artists did to Jesus in that film was amazing. I am upset at the academy for not recognizing Passion of the Christ as the clear winner in either of those two categories. I will admit that the movie isn't a best picture, but it has a powerful story that is going to be extremely effective for the Christian Coalition in the future.
I was quite pleased with Chris Rock as host. He didn't cross any lines. He made fun of every type of celebrity, whether it be black, white, fat or thin. My two favorite jokes he made was about Michael Moore wanting to do the movie Supersize Me and the one about the check-cashing place. I hope to see Rock back as host in the future. Of the hosts I've seen, Billy Crystal, Steve Martin, and Chris Rock are some of the best. However, I've only been watching for the past few years. Whoopi and Letterman sucked as hosts.
Do view all the winners of the 2005 Academy Awards you can go to http://www.oscar.com.

2005 Oscar Predictions

I have been back and forth for a few weeks now as to who and what I'm going to vote for. Do I go for sympathy votes due to recent deaths or numerous nominations but lack of wins or do I support epic films done in the old Hollywood style? Tonight will decide the best of 2004. The following are my predictions for the night. I am teetering on best picture, so it will be updated hourly.

Picture: The Aviator

Director: Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby

Actor: Jamie Foxx for Ray

Supporting Actor: Morgan Freeman for Million Dollar Baby

Actress: Hilary Swank for Million Dollar Baby

Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett for The Aviator

Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Sideways

Writing (Original Screenplay): Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Animated Feature: The Incredibles

Film Editing: The Aviator

Cinematography: The Aviator

Music (Score): The Passion of the Christ

Music (Song): "Accidentally in Love" from Shrek 2

Art Direction: The Aviator

Costume Design: The Aviator

Makeup: The Passion of the Christ

Sound Editing: Spiderman 2

Sound Mixing: Spiderman 2

Visual Effects: Spiderman 2

Foreign Film: The Sea Inside

Documentary Feature: Born into Brothels

Documentary Short Subject: Hardwood

Short Film (Animated): Ryan

Short Film (Live Action): Little Terrorist

I Agree With You Greggo

Greg "The Hammer" Williams believes strongly in the following creedo: celebrities don't go to jail. I completely agree with that statement. Rappers are about the only ones who truly get busted and even a high percentage of those make it free of charge.
The following link, http://movies.yahoo.com/news/ap/20050224/110931426000.html, is a story about the actor Tom Sizemore. He has done such films as Saving Private Ryan and Heat. The man is on probation and failed seven drug tests this month alone, and we are even in a short month. Yet, the judge refuses to put the man in jail until his hearing.
If this guy was Joe Blow Drug Addict off the street he would be thrown in a cell without a doubt in the world the right thing was being done. However, because Sizemore is a celebrity he gets five-star treatment.
Is this what's wrong with America? Is a problem we face that we put too much emphasis on stars and athletes than we do on the common man? Or do these celebrities deserve special justice? I think not, but there is nothing we can do. As long as People magazine is being bought and Entertainment Tonight is rated so high we will always have this problem.

Casino Royale Is Really Going To Come To Theaters

This news will probably bore most of you, but I enjoy this subject and it makes me happy. Martin Campbell, the director of the upcoming James Bond movie Casino Royale, has confirmed a basic plot with not too much visual effects and explosions like previous films.
Campbell said, "There are things that will have to be changed from the original novel. The Cold War elements will have to be reconfigured, for example, but Casino Royale will be a grittier, tougher and more realistic Bond movie. We'll be getting away from the huge visual effects kind of films."
He went on to add, "In the new film, Bond is essentially starting out in his career, and has just recently become part of the double-0 section. The idea is to put a bit of the dash back in Bond. By the end of the movie, the character will have been forged into the wiser, harder Bond we know."
This means a couple of things. First, M will have to be reverted back into a man. The timeline is going to be smudged a bit, so we will have to go back to Bond's boss being male. I'm not against female authority, it just makes more sense.
Second, if we have a Q, which rumors have been saying their won't be a place for him and I believe it now after hearing the plot from Campbell, it would be confusing for audience members to see John Cleese as the gadget-giving character. I predict there will either be no Q or it will be played by someone else, even though I really liked John Cleese in the role.
Thirdly, there has to be a lot of smoking and drinking from Bond. His character in Ian Fleming's novels was cold, hard and had many vices, women included in those. Campbell has said, "I'm looking forward to humanizing Bond a bit. In the novel, Bond smokes 70 cigarettes a day - unbelievable. And he gets a little drunk."
I think Campbell will enjoy making this film and his enjoyment will show on the screen. I am completely confident in his ability as a director because of his work with the Bond series before. He has directed works like Beyond Borders and The Mask of Zorro. He has the range to do both drama and humor. I am getting more and more excited everyday for this movie. It could make or break the future of the Bond series in Sony's hands.

I Suck!

It came down to me and Chad. I had a 2-1 chip lead over him and I couldn't close the deal. Why? Because I suck. This puts Chad even further ahead in the scores and gives him another win to use in case of a tie between the two of us. The following are the scores.
Chad - 1 point
Matt - 2 points
James - 3 points
Danny - 4 points
Clint H. - 5 points
Brent - 6 points (didn't show)
Hector - 7 points (didn't show)

Overall:
Chad - 22 points
Matt - 24 points
James - 28 points (used his bye)
Clint M. - 29 points (used his bye)
Danny - 29 points (used his bye)
Brent - 37 points (used his bye)
Clint H. - 39 points (used his bye)
Hector - 41 points (used his bye)

Had A Blast In The Shreve

This president's holiday weekend I spent time reflecting on my country's leaders by celebrating in the land of the Louisiana Purchase. When Thomas Jefferson purchased the territory for $15 million he doubled the land of the United States. He also inadvertently created a gambling haven for Texans.
The trip was going to be Joanna, Clint, Kristyn, Chad, Randy, Danny, Brandy, James and me. However, a few couldn't make it and the number dropped. When Saturday rolled around, it was Kristyn, Clint, Chad and me in the car with Joanna already in Shreveport because of a death in the family. We drove to Nacogdoches, where we ate at Peking and played frisbee golf while Kristyn drove around Nac remembering the good times.
We arrived in Shreveport at about 5:00 in the afternoon and were anticipating a long wait on the $4-8 Texas Hold'em table. We called when we left Arlington, seven hours earlier, and put our names on the list, but we called after leaving Nac and they told us call-ins are only on the list for three hours. We arrived with three names ahead of ours. They hadn't taken our previous names off the list. We waited for a table for about 20 minutes.
Saturday night, we quit playing poker about 11:00. We ate at the diner in the hotel lobby and then went upstairs and ordered a movie. The movie was Flight of the Phoenix. Don't ever watch it. It stinks. Chad and I made fun of it the rest of the weekend, mainly because we were the only two who stayed awake for the entire thing. It was predictable and boring.
Sunday brought a new poker day. I went downstairs at 9:15 a.m. and sat right down for poker. Played about 7 1/2 hours with a lunch break in the middle of that. The girls did their spa thing. Joanna got beaten up during her massage. The lady internally bruised Joanna from her rubbing.
We all went to a seafood place for dinner that Clint and Kristyn found on a walk of Shreveport. They proceeded to tell us about it and then asked us not to come up to the room for 20 minutes. A little pregnant sex for the two of them. They got 22 minutes and barely finished. Some 66 second man he is.
The seafood joint wasn't great. It wasn't even good. They charged for refills after the first refill. They charged more for a loaded baked potato and you couldn't substitute your fries for a potato. And the food wasn't that great.
One great thing about staying in the hotel is you can put your name on the list for poker and then go up to your room to wait. They will call when they have a seat for you. We put our names down, went and ate dinner, came back to the room and watched Desperate Housewives before we were called again.
We woke up Monday morning and decided not to play in the poker tournament. We dined at the buffet for lunch and then drove home. We had lots of laughs and everyone enjoyed the trip. We even got a cheaper room rate because we played poker. It was great.

Oscar Update

The presentation is only ten days away. I am getting more excited as each day passes. I have seen a few of the films nominated and think The Aviator will win a couple of its 11 nominations, but how many is hard to say. Million Dollar Baby will beat out Martin Scorcese in Best Director though.
There have been rumors about Chris Rock offending some members of the academy with his jokes and remarks lately. Gil Cates, producer of the show, said no one has complained and Rock will do a great job.
Cates said, "Anyone who has ever seen Chris Rock's work knows that he is a very funny man. They also know that he is not afraid of making observations that may offend someone somewhere. And that is exactly why we chose him to host the 77th Annual Academy Awards."