If there's two thing I learned from the show today, it's that:
1. Bill Clinton is possibly the most calm, cool and composed politician (ex or otherwise) we have in the U.S.
2. The fat tie knot has to go.
I'll tell you how this relates. Clinton is so smooth in interviews, that he's almost boring. His answers are always impeccable and the cadence of his speech just lulls you into an near-hypnotic state. I don't care if you hate the guy, you gotta admit he can speak.
Because you are mesmerized by his words, your visual attention tends to wander to other things, like, say, oh I don't know ... a big fat tie knot! I don't know who started this godawful trend, but it must stop. Is it me, or does anyone else think about a big clown tie when they see a knot that big?
To hell with GQ, Esquire and all the other male-fashion, self-help magazines ... a tie knot is a tie knot. Don't make it too small, and don't make it too wide - just make it. We're watching to hear you speak, Bill, not for a sartorial statement in the form of a knot.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
The Daily Show - Yesterday's Repeat
Is there anything more amusing than the Daily Show? How about the Daily Show one day later?
This is when I usually watch it, on the couch, scarfing down some food after a long day at the office and a damnable commute home. It really is the perfect antidote for what ails you.
That being said, it's rare for a Daily Show episode to be perfect from beginning to end. There are usually a few clunkers along the way - a flubbed line, a boring correspondent's piece, an annoying guest. Tonight's episode (and by that, I mean last night's episode) started strong on some strong "tossing the salad" spinach scare jokes, moved into a not-so-funny correspondent's piece on the Pope's insensitive comments, and ended with Mr. Ben Affleck.
You may disagree, but the most compelling thing tonight was the Affleck interview. He's a funny dude that just happened to get caught up in some bad plubicity. I'll go see Hollywoodland (if I ever have enough time, money and patience to actually get to the movies).
Also watched the beginning of Colbert. More funny shit. It's definitely hitting its stride and I don't think I can even do it justice with comments. Especially since mainstream media has this one covered right now. Just watch it.
This is when I usually watch it, on the couch, scarfing down some food after a long day at the office and a damnable commute home. It really is the perfect antidote for what ails you.
That being said, it's rare for a Daily Show episode to be perfect from beginning to end. There are usually a few clunkers along the way - a flubbed line, a boring correspondent's piece, an annoying guest. Tonight's episode (and by that, I mean last night's episode) started strong on some strong "tossing the salad" spinach scare jokes, moved into a not-so-funny correspondent's piece on the Pope's insensitive comments, and ended with Mr. Ben Affleck.
You may disagree, but the most compelling thing tonight was the Affleck interview. He's a funny dude that just happened to get caught up in some bad plubicity. I'll go see Hollywoodland (if I ever have enough time, money and patience to actually get to the movies).
Also watched the beginning of Colbert. More funny shit. It's definitely hitting its stride and I don't think I can even do it justice with comments. Especially since mainstream media has this one covered right now. Just watch it.
Today Show - When McGreevey Calls
Jim McGreevey was on today, fielding Matt's questions. I didn't really catch too much of the interview, but I must say ... the guy just oozes sleaze.
That is all.
That is all.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Wife Swap - Pretty Slobby
I can't believe I watched this. Even worse, I can't believe I liked it.
I'm pretty much a reality TV snob. I can't stand the stuff. But when I've run out of DVDs the wife would consider watching, the Daily Show is a repeat I've actually seen and all the other shows are scripted stuff I just don't want to invest in, a little reality TV can go a long way.
This episode (I only watched the first half) was great. Some image-obsessed, new-rich family from Tennessee switched their prissy, perfectionist mom with a dumpy slob of mother from good ol' Pennsylvania. The great underlying beauty of Wife Swap is (get ready) - BOTH FAMILIES ARE WRONG! Sorry to burst that bubble for you.
They pick such diametrically opposed families that you can't help but think they both need help. I don't mind the slob being slobby, but she homeschooled her kids and the younger one couldn't even multiply. And I don't mind rich people being rich, but the poor daughters were tortured into being physically perfect specimens. That and the dad was a completely misogynistic asshole.
I kind of wish I knew how this turned out, but as with most reality TV, you can see how things end from a mile away.
I'm pretty much a reality TV snob. I can't stand the stuff. But when I've run out of DVDs the wife would consider watching, the Daily Show is a repeat I've actually seen and all the other shows are scripted stuff I just don't want to invest in, a little reality TV can go a long way.
This episode (I only watched the first half) was great. Some image-obsessed, new-rich family from Tennessee switched their prissy, perfectionist mom with a dumpy slob of mother from good ol' Pennsylvania. The great underlying beauty of Wife Swap is (get ready) - BOTH FAMILIES ARE WRONG! Sorry to burst that bubble for you.
They pick such diametrically opposed families that you can't help but think they both need help. I don't mind the slob being slobby, but she homeschooled her kids and the younger one couldn't even multiply. And I don't mind rich people being rich, but the poor daughters were tortured into being physically perfect specimens. That and the dad was a completely misogynistic asshole.
I kind of wish I knew how this turned out, but as with most reality TV, you can see how things end from a mile away.
The Today Show - Stop Interrupting!
Ok, Meredith pissed me off today. She was downright annoying trying to suck out answers from First Lady Laura Bush (FLLB). Now, I'm not the biggest fan of FLLB - her head is huge (physically, not in the egotistical way), and she supports her husband's most inane positions even though you can tell she's smarter than him - but let a girl finish a sentence!
Meredith was all over her like Nicole Richie to a gigantic pair of sunglasses. It's not like your interviewing the president, Mrs. V. It's not like you're even interviewing a mother who let her kid take a razor-blade infested apple from a stranger.
It's the frickin' First Lady. Cut us all some slack and talk about her charity work, not Iraq. Were you expecting anything other than "stay the course" on that one?
Meredith was all over her like Nicole Richie to a gigantic pair of sunglasses. It's not like your interviewing the president, Mrs. V. It's not like you're even interviewing a mother who let her kid take a razor-blade infested apple from a stranger.
It's the frickin' First Lady. Cut us all some slack and talk about her charity work, not Iraq. Were you expecting anything other than "stay the course" on that one?
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Shopgirl
Just finished this flick, which we started about a week ago. You're probably noticing a trend by now.
All in all, a pretty decent movie. This will sound artsy, but the cinematography was amazing. Generally, when I hear someone talking about how shots are composed, I want to throw up in my mouth. But whoever that guy was, he's a compositional master. (OK, so the guy's name is Peter Suschitzky, courtesy of IMDB)
Not sure what else to say, other than noting how creepy it was to watch Steve Martin make out with Claire Danes. Especially considering that he had just done Cheaper by the Dozen. Weird.
All in all, a pretty decent movie. This will sound artsy, but the cinematography was amazing. Generally, when I hear someone talking about how shots are composed, I want to throw up in my mouth. But whoever that guy was, he's a compositional master. (OK, so the guy's name is Peter Suschitzky, courtesy of IMDB)
Not sure what else to say, other than noting how creepy it was to watch Steve Martin make out with Claire Danes. Especially considering that he had just done Cheaper by the Dozen. Weird.
Giants/Eagles
As I'm sure you can tell, sports don't interest me. Actually, I take that back. Football doesn't interest me. I don't have to tell you why, and honestly you don't need to ask. Think about it.
Since the town I live in is so adamantly football-centric and they were playing the town I grew up in (doesn't using town instead of cities, make the whole thing a little more, I don't know, Americana?), I flipped on the tube to check it out. Philly just scored a touchdown to make it 23 - 7. Whoopee.
I'm kinda a Giants fan, but mostly don't care. What I hate are Eagles fans. They're obnoxious, not unlike Red Sox fans. Anytime you hear a sports cheer go up at a cultural event, that's the team you don't want to get behind. Trust me on this.
By the way, my Dad told me the Giants actually won this game. Go NY!
Since the town I live in is so adamantly football-centric and they were playing the town I grew up in (doesn't using town instead of cities, make the whole thing a little more, I don't know, Americana?), I flipped on the tube to check it out. Philly just scored a touchdown to make it 23 - 7. Whoopee.
I'm kinda a Giants fan, but mostly don't care. What I hate are Eagles fans. They're obnoxious, not unlike Red Sox fans. Anytime you hear a sports cheer go up at a cultural event, that's the team you don't want to get behind. Trust me on this.
By the way, my Dad told me the Giants actually won this game. Go NY!
Taken - "Taken"
Not long after finishing Austin Powers, my wife comes in. It's beautiful how addicted she gets. When she gets into a series, it's a full-fledged sprint to the finish. I honestly think, if she could, she'd watch every season of 24 without taking a break, just to get to the end.
This is just a long way of saying that we finally finished Taken. So Spielberg (and the cronies that actually filmed this series) didn't screw up. It wasn't a homerun or anything, but they didn't wimp out and make the aliens turn out to be little happy munchkins that just wanted to create a little blond girl. They came, they took Dakota Fanning back to the mothership (where she would remain until her next movie) and left everybody wondering "why?" As in why did this story take 15 hours to tell? Give me one of George Lucas' editors, and I'd have the whole thing down to a trailer.
Overall, it was decent, not great. In the end, it lacked famous people.
This is just a long way of saying that we finally finished Taken. So Spielberg (and the cronies that actually filmed this series) didn't screw up. It wasn't a homerun or anything, but they didn't wimp out and make the aliens turn out to be little happy munchkins that just wanted to create a little blond girl. They came, they took Dakota Fanning back to the mothership (where she would remain until her next movie) and left everybody wondering "why?" As in why did this story take 15 hours to tell? Give me one of George Lucas' editors, and I'd have the whole thing down to a trailer.
Overall, it was decent, not great. In the end, it lacked famous people.
Austin Powers - The Spy Who Shagged Me
I knew this was going to happen: a weekend of heavy viewing, without ample time to post about each invidual thing until I get to the end. Let's see if I can remember it all.
It was the middle of Saturday afternoon, and because I am lame and have no money, I decided it would be the perfect day to do mindless chores and match it them with a mindless movie. We (and, by the way, that means me and my beautiful bride) had started this DVD a few weeks back during a lull in Netflix activity. I have way too many purchased DVDs that just sit and collect dust, and the little lady just loathes every one (even the one she's never seen - Trading Places). I guess she found the second Austin Powers a litte more palatable than most, so we popped it in and then somehow got distracted (and yes, I know what you're thinking, you damn dirty apes!).
Anyway, I picked up on the flick right where Austin goes back in time and meets Heather Graham. I know it's been said before, but this girl just can't act. I mean, it's scary how bad she is. Yes, she's got a great body but then you look at her face and the expression is completely blank. I honestly think if you had a word bubble coming out of her head on a second-by-second basis, it would look like a flip-book of tumbleweed rolling in the void. But I digress.
The other thing I noticed was how absolutely repetitive the movie was from International Man of Mystery. It's got some updated jokes, but the structure of the gags is all the same. Mike Myers is just plain lazy. Honestly, if he's going to make another one, I hope Austin Powers dies in the first five minutes, and it's all about Dr. Evil. He's the only thing worth watching anyway.
It was the middle of Saturday afternoon, and because I am lame and have no money, I decided it would be the perfect day to do mindless chores and match it them with a mindless movie. We (and, by the way, that means me and my beautiful bride) had started this DVD a few weeks back during a lull in Netflix activity. I have way too many purchased DVDs that just sit and collect dust, and the little lady just loathes every one (even the one she's never seen - Trading Places). I guess she found the second Austin Powers a litte more palatable than most, so we popped it in and then somehow got distracted (and yes, I know what you're thinking, you damn dirty apes!).
Anyway, I picked up on the flick right where Austin goes back in time and meets Heather Graham. I know it's been said before, but this girl just can't act. I mean, it's scary how bad she is. Yes, she's got a great body but then you look at her face and the expression is completely blank. I honestly think if you had a word bubble coming out of her head on a second-by-second basis, it would look like a flip-book of tumbleweed rolling in the void. But I digress.
The other thing I noticed was how absolutely repetitive the movie was from International Man of Mystery. It's got some updated jokes, but the structure of the gags is all the same. Mike Myers is just plain lazy. Honestly, if he's going to make another one, I hope Austin Powers dies in the first five minutes, and it's all about Dr. Evil. He's the only thing worth watching anyway.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Taken - "John"
We're nearing the end of this sci-fi epic presented by Steven Spielberg and it's getting good. This is probably the best episode of the bunch, not being weighed down by a lot of historic, family mumbo-jumbo. The puzzle pieces are starting to come together and we finally find out what that little alien-hybrid, Ally (convincingly played by alien-hybrid acting machine, Dakota Fanning)is really capable of.
There is a big twist in this one, but I won't ruin it.
I'm very hesitant to watch the last episode. To me, Spielberg is a terrible ender. Now, I know he's only producing here, but I have to imagine he had some hand in the plot, and if I know one thing, it's that Spielberg will almost always take the family-friendly, cheesy way out.
Let me give you an example: AI. I thought it was a great movie, very interesting, well acted and different than anything we've seen before. Except for the Kid Rock/Chris Rock carnival scene, the movie is as cool as they come.
And then Spielberg ruined it.
Instead of ending it on the perfectly ambiguous shot of Haley Joel confronting the Angel, he takes us into far into the future for a horrendously long, overcooked epilogue. I'm convinced that had he not included this piece of shit, add-on ending, people would look back on the film as not only positive, but one of his better films.
I smell the same thing happening with Taken, but I hope I'm wrong. I seriously don't want to regret 15 hours of my screen-watching life.
There is a big twist in this one, but I won't ruin it.
I'm very hesitant to watch the last episode. To me, Spielberg is a terrible ender. Now, I know he's only producing here, but I have to imagine he had some hand in the plot, and if I know one thing, it's that Spielberg will almost always take the family-friendly, cheesy way out.
Let me give you an example: AI. I thought it was a great movie, very interesting, well acted and different than anything we've seen before. Except for the Kid Rock/Chris Rock carnival scene, the movie is as cool as they come.
And then Spielberg ruined it.
Instead of ending it on the perfectly ambiguous shot of Haley Joel confronting the Angel, he takes us into far into the future for a horrendously long, overcooked epilogue. I'm convinced that had he not included this piece of shit, add-on ending, people would look back on the film as not only positive, but one of his better films.
I smell the same thing happening with Taken, but I hope I'm wrong. I seriously don't want to regret 15 hours of my screen-watching life.
Friday, September 15, 2006
The Today Show: Spinach Scare
Ahhhhhhhh, spinach!!! Everybody panic!!!! Quick, throwaway your bags of spinach, you nation of Popeye wannabes!
OK, maybe it wasn't that dramatic, but to my sleepy eyes, today's top story was a fresh new kind of horror. Today, I woke up to a new enemy: vegetables.
It didn't help that Meredith was only a few days into her new hosting gig. I'm not sure she was ready to handle such a momentous story. Especially after futzing that first throw to commercial in her debut.
But she got through it ... and so did I. Although, my side really hurts and I had bagged spinach exactly one week ago at a dinner party. I thought it might be a bruised rib, but now I'm not too sure. Thanks, E. Coli!
Terror truly does have a new name.
OK, maybe it wasn't that dramatic, but to my sleepy eyes, today's top story was a fresh new kind of horror. Today, I woke up to a new enemy: vegetables.
It didn't help that Meredith was only a few days into her new hosting gig. I'm not sure she was ready to handle such a momentous story. Especially after futzing that first throw to commercial in her debut.
But she got through it ... and so did I. Although, my side really hurts and I had bagged spinach exactly one week ago at a dinner party. I thought it might be a bruised rib, but now I'm not too sure. Thanks, E. Coli!
Terror truly does have a new name.
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