the blog of benjamin m piety

2007, One of the Greatest Years in Music

2012-01-12T19:44:00.000-08:00

ALBUM ALPHA ORDER

Air's POCKET SYMPHONY
Andrew Bird's ARMCHAIR APOCRYPHA
The Arcade Fire's NEON BIBLE
Arthur & Yu's IN CAMERA
Bat for Lashes' FUR & GOLD
Bottom of the Hudson's FANTASTIC HAWK
Chromatic's NIGHT DRIVE

Dan Deacon's SPIDERMAN OF THE RINGS
Department of Eagles' THE COLD NOSE
The Dodos' BEWARE OF THE MANIACS
Feist THE REMINDER

The Good, the Bad & the Queen's THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE QUEEN
Holy Fuck's HOLY FUCK
Jay Electronica's ACT I: THE ETERNAL SUNSHINE (THE PLEDGE) EP
Justice's CROSS

Kanye West's CAN'T TELL ME NOTHING (Official Mixtape)
Kanye West's GRADUATION
LCD Soundsystem's SOUND OF SILVER
Lupe Fiasco's THE COOL
M.I.A.'s KALA

The Mary Onette's THE MARY ONETTES
Melpo Mene's HOLES
MGMT's ORACULAR SPECTACULAR
The National's BOXER
Radiohead's IN RAINBOWS

Sea Wolf's LEAVES IN THE RIVER
Spoon's GA GA GA GA GA

That's not including some of the great singles:

50 Hz's LOOK THE OTHER WAY

ABX's PUNK YOUR MIND

Battle's ATLAS

Beck's TIMEBOMB

Beirut's ELEPHANT GUN

Blu & Exile's THE WORLD IS

Brendan Benson's COLD HANDS (WARM HEART)

Chromeo's FANCY FOOTWORK

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah SATAN SAID DANCE

Dilated Peoples' YOU CAN'T HIDE, YOU CAN'T RUN

His Name is Alive's WHEN OYU FALL FOR SOMEONE

Jose Gonzalez's TEARDROP

Louis' MY OWN GOOD

Mint Royale's SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

The Rakes' SUSPICIOUS EYES

Rhianna's UMBRELLA

Ruby Suns' OH, MOHAVE

The Shin's PHANTOM LIMB

Shout Out Louds' HARD RAIN

Silversun Pickups' LITTLE LOVER'S SO POLITE

Soulsavers' REVIVAL

Tiesto's ELEMENTS OF LIFE
White Stripes' ICKY THUMP
Whitey's WRAP IT UP

2011 : Year of the Stall

2011-12-02T23:39:00.001-08:00

6th ANNUAL "END OF THE YEAR REPORT" for 2011

See Last Year's Report

BEST MOVIES
(1) Drive

(2) Tree of Life

(3) Moneyball

(4) Attack the Block

(5) Rango

(6) Contagion

(7) Martha Marcy May Marlene

(8) The Muppets

(9) Warrior

(10) War Horse

WORST MOVIES
(1) Jack & Jill
(2) Another Earth
(3) I Am Number Four
(4) Green Lantern
(5) Bucky Larson

BEST TELEVISION
(1) Breaking Bad
(2) Louie
(3) Boardwalk Empire
(4) The Walking Dead
(5) Community
(6) The Good Wife
(7) Fringe
(8) Happy Endings
(9) Terra Nova
(10) It's Always Sunny / Archer

* Honorable Mention to: American Horror Story, The New Girl & Children's Hospital

WORST TELEVISION
(1) Whitney
(2) Charlie's Angels
(3) Pan Am
(4) Every God Damn GOP Debates
(5) Everything on CBS, save for Reality, Football & The Good Wife

FAVORITE BOOK (The Only Book I Read)
(1) A Dance with Dragons

* I also read Girl With A Dragon Tattoo... but that doesn't count because it was terrible... but a great source for Mr. Fincher.

BEST VIDEO GAMES
(1) Portal 2
(2) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
(3) Batman: Arkham City
(4) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
(5) Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

* I did play LIMBO this year and think it's the 2nd best game I've ever played, second only to Red Dead Redemption.

BEST ALBUM
(1) M83 HURRY UP, WE'RE DREAMING
(2) Radiohead THE KING OF LIMBS
(3) The EPs for LANA DEL REY & WOODKID, damn I can't wait for their LPs in 2012.
(4) Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi ROME
(5) Foster the People TORCHES, though it got played out real quick
(6) Jessica Lea Mayfield TELL ME
(7) Lupe Fiasco LASERS
(8) Beastie Boys HOT SAUCE COMMITTEE PART TWO
(9) The Strokes ANGLES
(10) The Soundtrack to DRIVE

BEST SONGS

(1) ROLLING IN THE DEEP ADELE
(2) RACONTE-MOI HISTOIRE M83
(3) BLUE JEANS Lana Del Rey
(4) IRON Woodkid

(5) OUR HEARTS ARE WRONG Jessica Lea Mayfield

(6) HELENA BEATS Torches

(7) MONTANA The Year of the Hibernation

(8) BEAUTIFUL LASERS (2WAYS) Lupe Fiasco Ft. MDMA
(9) BLACK Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi
(10) CODEX Radiohead
(11) ECHOES Washed Out
(12) THE WILHELM SCREAM James Blake
(13) KNEES Peter & Kerry
(14) BLACK MOON Wilco
(15) WHERE I'M GOING Cut Copy

HONORABLE MENTION
CAR SONG Spank Rock Ft. Santigold
BILLIE JEAN (COVER) Drew Ryniewicz

BEST WEBSITES

(1) Facebook

(2) Twitter

(3) ESPN: Fantasy Football

(4) YouTube... for featuring me this year!

(5) Huffington Post

BEST FOODS

(1) Biscuits & Gravy

(2) Kyle's Thanksgiving Pork Pie

(3) Spaghetti

(4) Tostino's Pizza

(5) Marie Callendar's Pot Pies

BEST (Personal) IDEAS

(1) Turning "2 28" into a web series

(2) Getting in Better Shape, losing 15 pounds

(3) Hiking in Griffith Park

(4) Buying Skyrim, Batman, Zelda, & Uncharted before I Ran Out of Money in November...

(5) Last Minute Stories *for Pitch

WORST (Personal) IDEAS

(1) Spending $2000 on my truck, never catching back up

(2) Buying ice cream... over and over and eating it way to fast & feeling fat & idiotic

(3) Going BACK to S*******

(4) Forgetting About My Ticket

(5) Breaking the Workout / Hiking Chain... especially after I got to FL... it's hard to get back in the zone

FAVORITE MONTH
July: Great Summer, Lots of Work, Good Money, "True Blood Summer BBQs"

FAVORITE DAY
A TIE BETWEEN:

October 18th: My video featured on YouTube.

December 15th: Seeing my Sister & Mom for the first time in 2 years.

FAVORITE MOMENT
Feeling a little depressed with no job & no new leads for my work when I receive an email to pitch a new short & possible web series to Fox.

WORST MONTH

It's never been a bad month, but the bulk of November was soured by a real lack of work and feeling as poor as I've ever felt in my life. It wasn't all bad, as I did get to play a bunch of fantastic video games.

WORST DAY
Turning 30. Not planning anything special and just feeling sort of lonely and lost.

WORST MOMENT
My car accident a week after putting $2000 into my truck... then not working for months afterwards.

FAVORITE THING I DID
Seeing M83. All last minute but luck won out and I got to see one of the best concerts I've ever seen.

THIS YEAR'S THEMES

(1) Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back

(2) Stop Doing What You Know Is Wrong

(3) Persevere... in All Things, Pursue & Continue

(4) Exercise & Feel Better

(5) Unpredictability

HOPES / GOALS FOR 2012

(1) Become a More Consistent Writer, Finish the Work I've Started

(2) Enter Work into Competitions... win something

(3) Win A Streamy for "2 28"

(4) Find Representation

(5) Find A Mate

(6) Lose Those Love Handles

(7) Find Steady Income

(8) Go on a Road Trip

(9) Obama is Re-Elected w/ Democratic Majorities in House & Senate

(10) Pay Off Chase Card, Have $5,000 in Savings

HOPES / GOALS FROM LAST YEAR FULFILLED?

(1) Raise funds ($275,000) for "Fear Between Vultures"

* Nope & Not Even Close

(2) Shoot "Fear Between Vultures"

* Nope & Not Even Close

(3) Get "2 28" into a film festival

* Nope & Not Even Close... but it did become a film festival

(4) Get caught up on books... and start reading current releases

* After Dance, tried to read Hunger Games... no good and then stopped

(5) Get back into the gym, with a trainer - and get healthier

* Did This! And without a trainer... still need to do more, but doing well

(6) Learn that food is a source of energy and not an intoxicating delicious drug

* Kind of... but with no money, it's Tostino's Pizza

(7) Get new furniture

* Nope & Not Even Close... no money

(8) Get financially back in good standing

* Nope & Not Even Close.... HAHA

(9) Buy a new car for Christmas

* Nope & Not Even Close... wait, this is a real HAHAHA

(10) Write 2 new screenplays

* Started four different scripts: Death of Superman, The Loop, As Simple As Snow, The Fiery Roses... none are finished...

NEWS NEWS NEWS THIS YEAR

(1) Death of Osama Bin Laden

(2) Occupy Wall Street

(3) Arab Spring

(4) GOP Debates, Candidates Rising & Falling

(5) Japan Earthquake

(6) Debt Ceiling

(7) GOP Overreach... Union Busting, "No Taxes"

(8) Death of Steve Jobs

(9) End of Iraq War, War in Libya, Gadhafi's Death

(10) Gifford's AZ Shooting

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

God. My Family. Eric. Scott. Social Networks. Music. Video Games. Movies. Todd Luoto.

This year didn't feel long, it didn't feel short. It felt just what I year should feel like. I didn't hate this year... I didn't love it either. It was boring. It was stale. It felt like a stall. I didn't learn much. I got a little better at some things, while other things fell back into the old ways. I'm glad it's over and I hope next year is exciting, new, and rewarding.

Here's to 2012... let's hope it doesn't end, let's hope Obama is re-elected, here's hoping that this is the year dreams do come true.

Best Songs of 2011: 20 - 16

2011-12-02T23:06:00.001-08:00

The list continues here:

20 / BLACK BOOKS, Maria

19 / BEASTIE BOYS, Make Some Noise

18 / MONSTER RALLY, Sun Bum

17 / CUT COPY, Where I'm Going
*technically released in 2010 but I consider it a 2011 song w/ the album

16 / WILCO, Black Moon

Best Songs of 2011: 25 - 21

2011-12-01T15:22:00.001-08:00

As I was counting down the all that 2011 is... I started to go through my song list and break it down to the best 10... and it was difficult, so instead here are the top 25:

25 / SPANK ROCK, Car Song

24 / THE STROKES, Call Me Back

23 / CHAD VANGAALEN, Peace on the Rise

22 / BEIRUT, The Rip Tide

21 / PETER, BJORN & JOHN, Down Like Me

T is for Terrific

2011-09-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

There's a contest to make a "holy shit" death in an upcoming feature film called, the "ABCs of Death." Our producer and some friends have put together two really terrific entries and your support is necessary. The voting continues until Halloween, so please check them out and give 'em your vote here:

http://26th.theabcsofdeath.com/t-is-for-toss-1/

A WORD OF WARNING: THESE ARE NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART

Watch it here:

T is for Toss from Erica Harrell on Vimeo.

Here's the second:

Vote here: http://26th.theabcsofdeath.com/t-is-for-twig/

Watch here:

T is for Twig from Judson Scott on Vimeo.

My Blogging Habits Have Sucked

2011-08-31T09:42:00.000-07:00

Damn, do I love Oblivion.

Or, really, the prospect of playing #Skyrim. Oblivion is pretty buggy & I wish I spent more time investing in magic & sneak skills rather than heavy armor & blade... but it's alright, I'm pretty much a big ass tank now.

Yesterday, was a great day for writing... no wait, the day before was... yesterday, I learned that the day before's work was erased. I tend to create these little elaborate color coded excel sheets to get me set up and on schedule but something technical like losing 10 pages of writing really makes me just say forget it for a few days... I don't like rewriting the same thing. I enjoy rereading & editing but I hate REWRITING.

I'm also preparing my fantasy team picks. My first IDP draft is tomorrow evening. It's probably not proper to say, but I can't wait for 9/11.

What else, oh yeah, an accident. Fender bender. Got a penicillin shot the other day and thought I could make it home... I did not. Instead, I hit someone head on. Luckily, he was stopped in the middle lane turning left and I had just left a green light and not driving very fast. I had passed out for a half-second. I think it looked worse than it was. I was terrified at the idea and what else could of happened.

Trying to save money, my cheaper insurance doesn't cover my car at all, so the $2000 I put into my truck the other day on brakes & shocks should of been used to get my hood and front light casing fixed... but how was I supposed to know. Life's a bitch in that way. I also got this old man creak when I open my door. Which, I kind of like... kinda.

Sad.

Besides that, life is pretty normal, I'm counting down the days until I turn 30 (26 days!) and hoping to get these two script done both of which are around 40 pages. That's a lot to write, but I'm confident that I'll get there... maybe.

But first I have to get over to Anvil & help some lady with her "rat problem."

My Thoughts on Led Zeppelin

2011-04-15T17:58:00.000-07:00

So, over the past few days, besides fervently reading "Song of Ice & Fire," I've been listening to Led Zeppelin's nine studio albums and have come to the conclusion that they are my favorite band, overtaking, what was always Radiohead.

The past few Radiohead albums have been great, but as I've gotten older, I've wanted more soul & emotion in the music that moves me and I choose to listen too. Radiohead will always be the most artistic, creative & amazing music I've heard, and they do have deeply emotional songs like "True Love Waits," "Gagging Order" & "How To Disappear Completely" - but their music has recently become an exercise in thought. They've always been a cold band, like the movies of Stanley Kubrick, but recently, I've needed more... soul.

I've been listening to Led Zeppelin here and there for a while. I got a "Greatest Hits" double album back in High School, and my Dad, as I remember, had "In Through the Out Door" on vinyl. But, as I listened to their albums, while reading their history of the albums & songs, it just hit me.

This band was amazing.

Page's riffs, Plant's vocals... and some of their songs move me to tears. Like "Since I've Been Loving You" from my favorite of their albums, LZIII.

I like their story too. A true rock group. With epic guitar solos, epic drum solos (Moby Dick) and a true root soul in blues, rock n roll.

Their first album, Led Zeppelin, has the same feel for me as The Strokes' "This is It" - raw, live & immediate. Their second album, written during their second tour, is just as good, if not better. Where The Strokes took their second album to be much more polished & clean, LZII was just as immediate as their first.

But, it's their third album, LZIII, where things were perfectly aligned. They wrote the album at Bron-Yr-Aur and it reflected a more pastoral & acoustic side. Emotionally, I just love this album.

Critics, as they are, didn't and made the band release their fourth album, without a title. Most call it LZIV but some call it "The Hermit" based on the cover, while name it after the four symbols each of the band members chose to use on the back cover.

Of course, on IV you get "Stairway to Heaven" but you also get "Battle of Evermore," "Going to California," & "When the Levee Breaks." Easily making this album my second favorite.

Going on down, they released their last album with Atlantic, "Houses of the Holy" named after what the fans would call the concert halls that LZ would play in. This album has my least favorite Zeppelin song, "The Crunge" - eek.

My third favorite album is their next, a double album entitled "Physical Graffiti." This, is I believe is similar to Radiohead's "In Rainbows" in which they incorporated all they LZ was in one epic tour-de-force. Like Beatles' "The White Album" or Smashing Pumpkins' "Melon Collie & the Infinite Sadness."

And then, from here, LZ started to shed. First, Plant got into a car accident and had to record "Presence" in a wheelchair, and save for "Achilles Last Stand," is probably my least favorite album (if you consider Coda just to be an official "bootleg" album).

I do like the raw rock nature of it, that is 180 degrees from "In Through the Out Door," written after Plant's second tragedy, the loss of his son. The songs here are so, unlike LZ but yet, pretty innovative and sweet. "All My Love" is crazy cool. But, "Hot Dog" - huh?

After this, their drummer, Bonham, died from what I believe is just total excessive excessiveness... sad.

Coda, was released two years later, a response to the overwhelming "bootleg albums" being released. It was a collection of eight songs that were previously unreleased. Nothing too spectacular, save for the awesome drum solo, "Bonzo's Montreux."

All in all, Led Zeppelin was just... amazing.

Here's them in the beginning, from their self titled album, back in 1969... imagine, in the dying age of The Beatles, the height of the Vietnam War, the coming of a new decade, it must of been MIND BLOWING...

Thinking of Lost Love

2011-04-05T12:03:00.001-07:00

2011-04-04T00:13:00.001-07:00

Take It Like a Man

2011-04-03T00:20:00.000-07:00

I used to write really bad poetry. Sorting through old papers, I found this line:

"It's 2 o'clock in the morning and I'm up with a cup and my mind is still roarin'"

Maybe I was trying to rap or something, but in any case... eesh. I say I used to write bad poetry, because I've given up on thinking I can do that well. I like putting nonsense words together to create an image, like lemon blues, but for the most part my poetry is total dog shit.

Making my first feature was a great experience, until recently when I've begun to have real doubts about it. I took a lot of cut corners to make it. The budget wasn't really there, the animation could of been more polished and I still haven't had a chance to really finish the music. We rushed it for Sundance, hoping that we could have a chance - but it's Sundance after all and we didn't get in.

And after that, it's been kind of a bummer. We've gotten rejected from 5 other festivals, all the ones we've applied too, and I'm just starting to rethink the film and its quality. It's very personal and exposes a side of myself that now that I've made it, makes me feel naked and violated. As if I exposed myself for exploitation and to further my career, but because the film isn't any good, the risk in being so... open, kind of feels like a bad idea.

And so, the risk and consequences were the reward for risk and consequences.

I'm afraid I'm going to look back on this film and it'll look like that poetry. Where it's almost, uncomfortable... this once sense of the cool and artistic now feels false and naive. It's quite terrifying. Some people have asked to see it and I'm terrified to show them, being almost embarrassed to share.

And I've lost my confidence as a filmmaker.

I've started four different scripts and I'm thinking they are going to be great... until the next day when I read the 10 or 20 pages and find myself wanting to reach into the computer screen and burn every page. Have I lost any sort of talent I thought I once had? Did I "peak" with my capstone thesis film? A film I made over six years ago?

I thought I had such momentum with that film, playing over 40 film festivals, propelling my next film into Sundance...

I try to remember that I spent almost twice as much on that as I did on my feature film... and even more than that on everything else I've done combined... but in this day and age, you have to be talented with no money. And I just think, I am not.

It's sad.

I'm also always looking for work, but since I got fired back in 2009, I haven't felt steady financially. My credit which once was fantastic has slid... lots.

Every time, I get a few dollars in my pocket, it gets stolen out by unexpected expenses. Like tires and registering my truck. Some people may cough at me complaining about cash, being that I spend most of it on entertainment, television and movies. And video games...

But I find them to be both educational, entertaining... and escapist.

I learn a lot from being in tune with the current trends in film and television and video games. I'm proud of those expenses. I'd love to buy new furniture, new clothes... I'd love to be able to pay the exorbitant student loans that loom over me, like the rain cloud that follows Charlie Brown.

But I can't. And fuck it, I need something...

I'm a happy person, mind you. But I'm in a funk. And the thing that has made it all the worse is... I'm turning 30. And all my friends are getting married or in happy, sustaining relationships... and some are having kids.

I miss being in a relationship and having a buddy in my corner. I feel... un-desirable.

Most of my writing is about the role of being a man. Fatherhood. Gender assignments. Responsibility. I get frustrated by life when consequences to irresponsibility don't fail to rear itself. I bursted into my college with a ton of pent up sexual frustrations... and I paid a severe price for it.

It has permeated in my thoughts now. I knew what I was doing was wrong. But, fuck, I just wanted to escape all the frustrations. As I'm getting older that small window of freedom is closing. I'm approaching 30, with debt that compounds, and all the things I'm supposed to do is forcing me into a corner. Fantasy and dreams seem to be drawing further and further away. And they feel more and more like just that... fantasy and dream.

Which causes me to ask, who am I going to be?

My father has a career and a family. He's settled. My mom has her family, her children, a husband, her own home, pets, a daily routine.

I'm stuck spinning my tires and wondering if the jumps of faith I took in life were worth it, because it seems that if there are consequences to be had, I'm going to catch them. And I fucking hate that feeling. I harp against entitlement, but I'd really like some good luck.

The rewards I've received are small for the daily frustrations I lap through.

My script, Fear Between Vultures, is about a group of friends and lovers, who face these frustrations of wanting to experience life on their terms, but responsibility to others and self and the consequences for ignoring them weigh on them. To me, after each of them take on their responsibilities, there is a sadness. On one hand, these guys are assholes... but there is a reason we want to just escape in our own drugs.

Man, funks suck. I'm going back to Hyrule.

This Reminds Me of (Amazing) Jonathan Glazer

2011-04-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

Quotes from Last Night's Archer

2011-03-25T17:17:00.001-07:00

Courteous of The AV Club:

"Maybe it's just because I'm a badass, but chemo's a breeze."
"You didn't think it was weird your chemo drugs were chewable?"
"Basically candy corn and Zima ... which is probably why I've been in such a great mood."
"Does someone you love have breast cancer?" "Yeah, me."
"Whatever farm animal of war, Lana, shut up!"
"You have a lotta guns!" "And a knife!"
"Well, you threatened to shove a knife up his dickhole, which, again, ick."
"Hm. Survey says." *bang*
"Cock-flavored spit?"
"Lana, you're in the isolation booth."
"You guys are in on this? And I was worried about sounding racist." "Really?"
"It wasn't all that long ago that everybody hated the Irish for swarming over here in their potato boats and taking all the jobs."
"Uber-German. It means warrior."
"It's Austin, duh."
"Duh. I actually have no idea." "No shit."
"RAMPAGE!"
"That's why we... they lost the war. Lack of science."
"Thanks, Woodsy. The drug owl?"
"Shame, too. Cuz he just loves the E Street Band." ... "Did he just rag on my scarf?"
"She's not gay. She just has big hands."
"I thought it was a smoke grenade." "They look exactly. NOTHING. ALIKE."
"The Nazis invented Neil Armstrong?"
"After the war ended, we were snatching up Kraut scientists like hotcakes."
"The day my pet Dobermans accidentally ate my father!"
"I bet it smells like weed and rampage.
"You obviously haven't seen my movie Terms Of Enrampagement."
"OK, Clone Wars." "Zing."
"First of all, what the shit, mother?"

Blowout

2011-03-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

I've been obsessed with Zelda lately. In fact, I've been trying to tie all the Zelda games together in the proper time order... and if anyone knows Zelda, the first game is Ocarina of Time, which ends in a split timeline... so it's all nerdy and fun and awesome.

Anyway, I was looking online and found Windwaker used, and this is the one that was released with Ocarina of Time's Master Quest - something I haven't played. I had to get this.

However, it was over an hour away but, a nice drive, good music is always good for my creative juices and I used the time to figure out how to get through this particular section of my script, Fear Between Vultures. When I got to the Gamestop, there was also a Chick-Fil-A, perfect day?

With my new game and a delicious chicken sandwich, I was ready to head home.

Traffic was going well and I crept up to 82.... BLOWOUT!

My tire - blown.

Here's basically what my tire looked like:

I pulled over, totally freaked. Could I have just died? People were flying. I was shaken and I suddenly lost my cool - what do I do? I called my Dad. No answer. My Mom, no answer. My roommate, no answer. And finally my best friend, Eric.

I asked him to tell me what to do because I was just too zoned out to figure it out.

He tried his best to explain that I needed to take my blown tire into a shop so they could mount a new tire on it. I was trying to foolishly argue that I could just get a new tire first and eventually, I agreed with him - I was not fully in the right mindset.

I'm usually pretty cool and collected, but I just felt... off.

My Dad called me back and I started to talk to him and he explained the same thing Eric did and it finally sunk in... such smart people in my life. I looked in my rearview mirror and I what I thought was a police truck was behind me. I told my Dad I would have to call him back.

The guy suddenly appeared at my passenger window and he handed me a paper. I didn't read it but only his shirt which read Something Something Tow... oh great, a tow truck guy is trying to sell me something.

In fact, it was not the case. California has a Freeway Service Patrol, which during busier traffic hours assists (for free) those in need in order to alleviate potential traffic jammers...

He asked me to pull up to a safer area, I agreed and went to get into my driver's seat, to scared to open my driver's seat, I've been maneuvering between the passenger seat. I was just about to start the car when...

"Where are my keys?"

I looked down, between the seats... they were nowhere. I felt like an idiot. I then thought this guy might think I was some homeless dude cruising around and I found an unlocked car. I couldn't believe it. I looked up and down all around. In my jacket pocket, my jeans. The FSP was friendly and joking. He laughed that I might of left it in the Chick-Fil-A bag, I think he was calling me fat...

10 minutes go by.

Finally, in the crevasses of the darkest pits of my truck my keys lay hiding like a scared puppy. I grabbed them sheepishly and drove ::crunch crunch crunch:: to a safer area.

I then had to explain, which I did to Eric and my Dad that when my car was broken into a few years back, the IDIOT thief stole my Ford Ranger manual, including the key that got me into the spare tire. Not only was my spare tire unobtainable, it was also flat and useless anyway.

He asked if I had anyone helping me out, which I explained my buddy would be here soon... an hour. So, as they didn't want me on the highway that long, they gave me a free tow - yes... free tow.

While we waited, I started to call tire shops to start seeing how much this was going to cost me and I found America's "AMERICA!" Tire just down the street on the exit that I was going to get towed too. Perfect... but, they were closing in 20 minutes.

As I was beginning to get another tire place from them, the tow truck showed up.

And, like magic, I was in front of America's "AMERICA!" Tire with 2 minutes to spare. They came out and looked at my tire and I had to explain for a third time about the IDIOT thief who stole my Ford Ranger manual, because of course he might need it while he listened to my iPod... does he even like Radiohead and the Strokes?

Anyway, they looked my blown, scary ass tire over and went into the back to see what they had.

Then, as if awesome town was all over this day, they came out with a brand new looking (used tire) that they were going to mount and change for free in order to get me home.

Amazing.

The tire's only problem is that it's from 1998, so he warned me not to ride it more than I needed too and to get a new tire on soon.

And I got home with the only charges to my wallet were the new Windwaker game and my delicious (no gone) chicken sandwich.

Big props to America's Tire & the Metro Freeway Service Patrol... both of whom made a scary situation very pleasant.

These Guys are Awesome!

Thanks Aaron & David!

2011-03-20T23:04:00.000-07:00

Nintendo Blows (As of 2011)

2011-03-10T23:53:00.000-08:00

I've come to realize that the Nintendo Wii is a complete joke. And I'm talking about the Nintendo Wii 2011, not Nintendo Wii 2006. It's best feature is the ability to play old games. Like Zelda 3, which looks fantastic - for a 17 year old game.

I'm not a portable gamer, so I can't make an argument for the 3DS or DS... but I can say, owning all three systems that Nintendo is seriously behind the times.

Four points:

1) No HD Graphics... really? I would buy an HD Wii in about two shakes of a lamb's tail... I don't own, nor do most people I know an SDTV anymore... the Wii looks awful blown up and pixilated. This is why all their games now are just side scrollers... Kirby. Donkey Kong. Super Mario Bros. Their processor just can't handle enough information. And when they try to make a fully realized 360 immersive game, the graphics suffer greatly. It's sad to see that the graphics on the GameCube, a ten year old console, look just as good as the Wii.

2) Wii-Motes... 2006 - holy shit amazing. 2011 - crap... have you used the Move... it's amazing. Have you stepped in front of the Kinect and felt the FUTURE SURGING THROUGH YOUR BODY! Wii-Motes feel like kids toys, like Fisher Price... which brings me to:

3) The Sole Proprietor for Family Gaming... no longer. Wii Fit is silly when you can do full body exercises with the Kinect. And the new MiiParty is pretty childish/poor when compared with many of the Kinect games available.

Though Nintendo has had 5 years to perfect family gaming, it won't be long before PS3 & Xbox find their own personal groove... and with the Kinect shipping another 10 million units... Nintendo is again going to be left in the dust.

4) My biggest gripe: Gameplay Mechanics. Playing Zelda: Twilight Princess - where I'm still being forced to fight a limited 8 point fight system, where there are games like Uncharted with a full 360 degree of movement, it just feels... antiquated. Clunky. And lazy.

Nintendo has ALWAYS been ahead of the curve. And their puzzle and stories are still even today top notch... Twilight Princess is still a fantastic game but I'm upset that it's held back by outdated technology...

Nintendo will always be the father of game systems. They made the first true and honest home gaming console... then perfected it with Super Nintendo. They BLEW US AWAY with the first 64 bit 3D gaming experience. Then they perfected it on the GameCube... And the Wii was years... years ahead of its time, leaving the PS3 and XBox360 to look like chumps.

But now, it's time to do it again Nintendo. It's time to come out with your Super Nintendo or your GameCube... nothing groundbreaking, nothing revolutionary... just updated... brought into the current age. You are just like Apple... 3G... then 3GS... 4... then (guessing here) 4S... a speed and HD update.

I have faith. I have owned every one of your consoles - and I still love Zelda. I still love Mario... Just give me something to hope for. Give me something. We're all ready to throw our money away.

If not...

Develop Zelda for the PS3. I want your design... your puzzles. Your AMAZING creativity... just use 2011... 2012... or hell... 2015 technology... you got it in you... I know you do.

Love Always,

Ben

Nostalgia Kills & Why You Should Care

2011-03-10T15:02:00.000-08:00

Recently, Teen Nick announced they are going to rerun old episodes of Clarissa Explains It All, Rugrats and other pretty damn good 90s television. Many of my friends posted it to their Facebook status with a mix between "awesome" and "why don't they rerun ______." Filling in their own personal favorite show.

I was bothered by this. Not by people's love of their childhood show but by how here is yet another instance where money is being made on nostalgia.

In Wisconsin, just moments ago, the GOP has taken away collective bargaining rights away from unions. Do you know what that means? Unions can no longer negotiate pay for workers and companies can now just pay their workers whatever they want and if you don't like it... FUCK YOU.

Unions have done amazing things for this country: the 8 hour work day. Child labor laws. The five day work week. We have pensions and retirement safety nets. Unions held Capitalism in check. Just as a pure Communist state destroys the state, a pure Capitalist state destroys the state.

When a company only cares about the bottom dollar, when it doesn't care about its people, it will hurt its people - this is why before unions people DIED by going to work... people DIED working.

Today, 400 people... 400... 400 people hold more wealth than HALF of all American people... that's 400 people to 155,000,000 people...

LOOK AT THAT NUMBER...

I don't believe in socialism. I don't believe that everyone should be paid the same. If you work hard, you should get paid more. If you do a job that others feel is important, you should get paid more. Doctors get paid more than garbage men. That's a fact.

However... there are garbage men. We NEED garbage men. Without them, well... imagine.

And you know what else we need... TEACHERS. And one of the oldest cliches in the book is that teachers don't make enough. So, good people who would be great teachers - don't teach, because they don't get paid enough.

So, unions have done good for this country - and in all that time, it has not stopped people from becoming richer... because before just now... before just moments ago, people are richer than they were before and after unions began at the turn of the last century.

But, what does that have to do with reruns of Rugrats?

Because, our culture has become obsessed with wealth. And for some strange reason, we have forgotten all of our other needs and morals and perspectives. We allow, constantly allow, people to be in charge whose goal is to be rich... and get richer. We have become so cynical to this idea that it doesn't even bother us anymore... that the people who run the studios isn't Robert Evans (Godfather, The Conversation, Rosemary's Baby)... but Sumner Redstone (Transformers).

I think it's because most people want to make sure when they get there, they get to keep their money. As if everyone in America will have the chance to make billions of dollars and so everyone wants to make sure when they make their billions - no one will take it from them... as if a billion dollars can be thought in the same terms as a thousand dollars.

I don't think people really understand what it means to have billions of dollars. That's a lot of fucking money... A LOT OF FUCKING MONEY... no one needs that. No one needs BILLIONS OF DOLLARS... I don't care if you want to buy four houses and own 12 cars and take trips around the world... there is no way in Gods Green Earth you can truly spend BILLIONS of dollars without just being a total hedonistic asshole ::cough charlie sheen cough::

So, all this gripe about taxing the rich and how its bad, is bullshit. Tax them. Tax them like they did in the 1950s... You know what would happen if you taxed 75% of 10 billion? You'd still have a TWO & A HALF BILLION dollars...

But, taxes is besides the point, what I don't understand is why people want to support the rich... they're rich... they're fine. Do you think they really felt the recession the way that the middle class did? No. They're fine.

Stop caring about and stop supporting the rich.

Now, the studios and networks are run by people who care about the bottom dollar. CBS is probably one of the worst in the bunch, with every iteration of CSI & NCIS possible. NBC's Conan fiasco is another example of the bottom dollar outweighing common sense.

The thing we've forgotten in these past few years is that entertainment is an art form. Television. Film. Music - these are art forms. These are forms of expressions... and they have changed the world... the arts wasn't supposed to be where you make your millions... I remember being told early in life that if you want to make millions, sell stocks and work with money.

However, our entire entertainment culture is made up of squeezing out every dollar out of every ounce of creativity. And for every successful attempt (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Matrix) we have (I Am Number Four, Percy Jackson, Airbender, Naria). Wasted money all over the place... wasted money with creative and amazing ideas begging to be made.

We have gotten to the point where Studios are pissed off that franchises don't take... We're about to see a third reboot of Superman. A second reboot of Spiderman. Why? Because it makes them money... and what else makes them money?

Rerunning the shit that was fucking good as fuck back in the day. Original shit. Stuff that didn't have a previous iteration...

Like Rugrats. And Clarissa Explains It All...

As some friends pointed out, this isn't a new thing. We had TV Land that exclusively showed all old shows... like listening to the Oldies station on radio. We also had Nick at Night that showed reruns of Cheers or Taxi.

But these weren't what we have today. Today we are bombarded with a constant forcing of what is old is cool... retro is cool... so much so, that it's now becoming a joke online...

And what bothers me is that we aren't mad as hell and rejecting it.

So, Teen Nick why don't we fill that throw away time slot (Midnight to 2 a.m.) with original programming - in the same way that Adult Swim does with amazing shows like "Children's Hospital."

Stop being cheap assholes and take some of those new Viacom profits from The Jersey Shore and take a chance on some original programming... but something truly original... like Pete and Pete... or Rocko's Modern Life.

At least it'll give kids in 2027 something to be nostalgic about.

The ICK Factor

2011-03-06T08:21:00.000-08:00

I like Chick Fil A.

They make, hands down, the best chicken sandwich I've ever had and their nuggets are perfectly breaded, perfectly juicy and perfectly delicious. However, I am reminded often of one pesky thing. Chick Fil A is christian. And not just... christian, but a "we have our own charity arm that supports the protection of 'tradition' marriage" christian called "Winshape Foundation." After a few google clicks, you'll see their ties to anti-gay marriage groups and activists, etc.

So, Chick Fil A supports 'traditional' marriage.

I could go on a tirade about that and how the marriage they are supporting most times than not goes on to divorce but that's an old story. The real problem lies in that homosexuality is still... icky.

Two guys who kiss is icky. It's weird. And anyone who doesn't say so, is just being liberal. And why is this? Because our brains have been wired since birth to believe in gender role. Boy = blue. Girl = Pink. And from there it is Blue kisses Pink. This is what is normal. It is what we see every day, all day everywhere you turn.

So, when two guys kiss. Or hold hands, our brains instantly see this as wrong. Now, open minded, good hearted people don't mind... but I'd be hard pressed to believe that there isn't an instinct still that goes, "whoa look at that." It's like seeing the Matrix's bullet time effect for the first time, our brains have not yet seen the stopped motion, the slick camera move and it was MIND BLOWING.

And now, the effect... eh.

The solution?

Repetition. Repetition is normalcy. If you look on television, there are boys kissing all over the place now. It's now much more normal than it was when Dawson's Creek did it back in 2000. It's not event TV as it used to be. It took ten years to get people to be just... LESS ick'd by boy kissing.

And how long did it take for inter-racial couples? A black man holding a white woman's hand... does anyone still care?

Brokeback Mountain helps but you don't see that happening much anymore. Hopefully, we can get more gay movies out there... And people just being open and gay, that would help too. More gay people just being regular gay people, like going to Chick Fil A and buying crap they don't need at Target, is what the world needs.

These gay pride parades may be fun parties for gay people, but they are incredibly alienating to others. They make homosexuals an Other. They aren't like us.

With all the shit in the world a regular guy has to worry about, I don't have time to worry about whose hate is more filled and what company isn't doing the right thing at all times and supporting the right and wrong causes.

Olive Garden & Red Lobster support Planned Parenthood, should social-conservatives never go there?

These minor boycotts aren't the change needed. It's a mind shift. We need boy on boy lovin' to be just as boring and trite as the bullet time effect in movies. The million or so dollars Chick Fil A loses from a half-hearted boycott isn't going to change a crotchety conservative board of homophobes.

Voting for the Democrats & supporting Obama who's ending DADT & DOMA. Supporting good movies and television with complex, well-written gay characters. Making it easier in the classroom for teens to come out ("It Gets Better" campaign). These are things that are the real change. These are things that will slowly mind shift Americans to hate someone else.

In the video game, Red Dead Redemption, it's theme is that America will always need a bad guy. We're a traumatized society who was founded on defeating wrong and defending right. I don't think we've shaken that need to defend ourselves from the wicked.

And so... right now, it's the gays. They are the ones destroying America. Or is it the Unions? Or is it the Tea Party? Or wait... maybe it's that asshole who says that God Hates Fags at the funerals of our fallen soldiers. No it's definitely that quitter from Alaska.

That girl is definitely the one to fight. Let's get rid of her.

And then the communists... and then that cult leader Steve Jobs... and then the baby killers at Planned Parenthood...

But, you know who isn't the bad guy? The normal folk. People who don't care. Who work. Raise families and live life and pay bills and get mad because they're missing their favorite show on TV... Two and a Half Men because of that left coast liberal with tiger blood.

Drugs by Ratatat

2011-02-23T15:33:00.001-08:00

Thanks Baxter

2011-02-16T20:02:00.000-08:00

Red Dead Redemption

2011-02-10T15:07:00.000-08:00

I like to write this blog, to chronicle things I think about, things I like and one day, I hope to get to look back on it and go, oh yeah, I remember when I liked that.

Last night I finished, after about 34 hours of play, Red Dead Redemption (98% finished) and I just can't stop thinking about it. It is just so... INCREDIBLE. My confrontation with Dutch, riding into Mexico, and the final moments... the last... very last moment... haunts me. It is truly a masterpiece and is definitely the best game I've ever played, better than Uncharted 2... better than BioShock and better than Mass Effect (so far... I consider it a trilogy that I'll get to finish later this year).

Here is a video that captures the mood of Red Dead Redemption, without giving anything away. The second video is "directed" by the guy who made "The Road" - it's a 30 minute story preview of I'd say the first 8 hours of play. Both of them are pretty incredible, but nothing will compare to playing this majestic work of art.

Producer's Path to Greatness

2011-02-06T10:22:00.000-08:00

Over the past year, I've come to learn more and more the true role of the producer and what it takes to go from an idea's inception to walking on stage and accepting an award or learning that your film has just beaten a new box office record.

When I learned that the "Best Picture" Oscar goes only to the top three producers and is essentially a "Best Producer" award, it seemed odd that it didn't go to the director as well... selfish me.

As the role has been more clearly defined, it is no doubt they are the most important aspect of the successful life of a film and there is no question their deserving of winning the most coveted of Oscars.

Here's my understanding of the process in producing a great film:

STEP ONE: THE PRODUCER'S VISION

When a director has a voice and a vision for a film, he can tell the difference between two outfits for a particular character and can choose succinctly, knowing how the film should look and act and feel. The Producer must also have their own vision, but not just the film, but of its entire life.

An idea may spur from an article, a novel, a short story or some idiot kid almost getting hit by a runaway pack of wolves... normal day things. This idea for a film and, most importantly, where it will fit among the other millions of ideas and hundreds of movies just like it, is very important. You'll see in step eight...

You can envision a great drama, but who is going to watch it? Who is going to buy a ticket to it? Buy the Blu-Ray? Or download it on iTunes? What sort of person are you selling this movie too? Studios want a film that appeals to the four quadrants: parents and kids, guys and gals. A film that hits all four is the most guaranteed to make the most money.

But not every film is the next Spiderman or Marvel comic hero. And not every success story is a four quadrant film.

If you have an idea for a heart wrenching drama, where is that market? How do you see it getting there? You don't have think about money in this stage, just where is this movie? Who will watch it? Why is it going to stick out? Once you understand that, you can begin to make decisions about the movie without going off the rails.

Having the right TOTAL vision for a film will be enormously beneficial in the coming months... and years.

STEP TWO: DEVELOPING THE SCRIPT

Sometimes, the script comes into your hands already written and sometimes, most times, that script will have problems. Not as a script mind you, but in fitting what you see as the vision for the film. Here you have to make difficult decisions. That scene of an epic space battle, in an otherwise low-budget tearjerker, is probably out of sync with the vision that you have for the film. Sure, it may be incredibly important to your story, but your audience may not buy it. Nor your ability to raise the right amount to make that.

Looking through a script and deciding what is and isn't important and how certain character's decisions, plot turns and set pieces create a film that fits your vision is an critical step in development. This process is killer on a writer. I've been writing one film since Summer of 2007... almost 4 years. I've been doing this because the film I wrote didn't fit the producer's vision and what later became my vision.

My first draft of the script was essentially a coming out story. Something no one wants to see anymore and has been done, many many many times before but, I had other elements in the script that were unique and made for a great drama, but pulling those out and losing other elements is a tough process for a intricately plotted film.

Sometimes, the market isn't ready for a perfect film. Sometimes, a film that has a space battle in a low budget indie - is important. But, you know as a producer that paying for that or raising enough money to make it right... to fit your vision... is going to be near impossible.

Getting the story right, making the characters say all the right things (good or bad), making the right decisions to set the film in all the right places, and creating all the right turns and interesting plot devices - and all of that fitting into the sort of film that is what you consider your vision - is fucking TOUGH.

But, when you get there, years... years later... Reservoir Dogs & Pulp Fiction both took 10 years, for example, you're ready for the next step.

STEP THREE: DEVELOPING THE BUDGET

The next step is finding the right price. If you set it too high, you'll never raise the money and never recoup your losses. If you set it too low, you won't attract the right cast and you won't have the right resources to make the right film.

You also need to be aware of what is selling and at what price... who is buying and how much? How much are movies like yours being made for? If you're making a slasher movie for $10 million dollars but most are being made for $100,000, you're probably not going to get very far and raising the money is probably like asking for a third kidney.

You have to do your research. And that research has to be current, like - Sundance 2011 current. Not Sundance 2010 because, in this day and age, things change ever so. And in a time that is recovering from a devastating recession, where digital distribution is constantly on the move, you have to understand where your film is going to land... or at least have some inkling... which will inform your budget.

You, of course, will break the mold. You will find your own path, but you have to know who is doing what and for how much, in order to be competitive. Can you make it for less? Can you make it for more? Are films being purchased for more than they were last year... when your film is released, how much will it go for then? Remember you are budgeting for a film that may not get made for a year and may not get released for two...

Deciding on this amount is the right step.

This is when you hire (pay them) a Line Producer. You give them the script. You give them the price and they work their magic. They'll bring you a budget that gives you your vision at the right price. You'll also see that your space battle can't be made in a film costing $150,000. Or, maybe you do... it might take a revision or two, developing the budget just as you develop your script, eventually you'll find the right price that works with your vision.

And you may just have to go back to step two, to make step three work.

STEP FOUR: DEVELOPING THE DIRECTOR'S VISION

Now you got a script. Now you got a budget. Now you need... a director. This is the person who can take your idea, your vision, and bring it to life. They care about the movie. They won't care about press circuits or marketing, they just want the audience's approval. They should be passionate about your script and you should begin to talk to them about your vision.

And they need to be the same.

When X director is in talks to do the next comic book movie, this is what's happening. They are pitching their vision for the film... does it share yours? Can they do it for the budget you've created? Do they appreciate and celebrate the script the same way you do? When Gore Verbinski was in talks to do the BioShock video game movie adaptation, his vision was too expensive for the producer's vision and budget... the movie hasn't gotten made. And it won't until his director's vision meets the producer's vision and budget.

In some cases, the director is the one who brought you to script in the first place. You have taken their script and developed it with them as a writer, you have now taken their script and gave it a price tag. Now, they are a director. What sort of cast do they want? What sort of look are they going for? How will they shoot it? Is there a ton of rehearsal? Is it all improv? Is it a long shoot? Short?

The budget informs the shooting days, but you may have to adjust it based on the director's vision. Does this work?

As you'll begin to see, each step of the way, makes you go back and revise the previous step. Which makes you go back and revise the previous step... just like writing. But, you have to remember that your vision is always set in stone... you got to stick to your guns here.

Eventually, the director's got his vision. Got his mind wrapped around how to make the film and together you are ready to make the same movie... if you're not, it's going to be great hell. Make sure the director shares your vision because, it's not THEIR film, it's yours. You PRODUCE, they DIRECT. The roles are very clear.

STEP FIVE: DEVELOPING THE CAST

The next person you hire (pay them) is a casting director. They will read your script and sit down with you and the director and talk about the film. You will share your vision. The director theirs and together the three of you will begin to reach out to actors who will become attached.

Actors will begin to read your script and pass or get REALLY GODDAMN EXCITED. When they come in, you watch them read and see how they perform. You discuss with them the project... it's size, it's budget, how you plan to make it. Are they going to be working for two weeks for $100 a day? Are they going to get SAG scale rates? More? What conditions will they have to work in and is this the sort of film they believe in?

Finding the right cast, isn't just finding the right actor, but someone willing to take the journey with you. If they aren't doing a studio film, they are probably going to have to work in some unusual and less than awesome situations. Are they ready for that? If they want their own trailer and can only work five day weeks when you're budgeted for six, it's probably not going to work.

But if they're perfect for the film, if they can potentially bring in real money - then, like all the other steps you go back and revise. Revise the budget, revise the script, possibly revise the director's vision.

These first five steps is all about finding the right combination, each holding each other hands, each holding each other up and without one, the others fall.

At the end of it, you'll have: a script, a budget, a director and a cast. These four form your vision... if not, you need to continue to work.

This is when you're ready to raise the money.

STEP SIX: DEVELOPING THE RESOURCES

You now need to get the word out. Talk to anyone and everyone who is or can be attached to money. Do you know a friend who has a producing friend who is looking for the next film to invest in? This is when the producers role becomes diluted because anyone with a dollar in their pocket will begin to ask for credit. And they begin to ask for yours. They want producing credit.

And this is where you find your executive producers. The important people who finance and make your film happen. The cast may bring in money, they may become EPs. Where this money comes from is a great mystery and how the producer's roles get redefined is always different for every film... there is never a clear answer to this... but it's always... connections and networking.

If you've budgeted your film just right, this process won't have to be impossible. If you budgeted it too high, it'll probably never happen. Too low, and people won't take you seriously.

New producers to your film, ones with real money, will probably bring in a business plan. They may have their own path that they have usually taken, usual investors, usual buyers, which is why they probably have money to make movies in the first place.

Always know: never get in bed with a new producer until you know their history. Know they are legitimate, know they share your vision. It may be tempting if they are about to front the cash for you film. Your director will want it. Your cast may be ready, but this is your baby. Don't lose it because someone else has the money.

Eventually, when you've exhausted the universe and everyone in the world knows you're making a movie and you got X attached and it's going to cost X amount... the money will come.

STEP SEVEN: MAKE THE MOVIE

And then, you make it.

STEP EIGHT: DEVELOPING THE MARKET

And now, it's the most important part. Getting people to watch it. And this mystery is just as great as finding the money, if not greater. You've got a great cast, a great script, a great film - but now you need to convince others that it's important.

Here's where your vision gets tested. Were you right? Were the ideas you had for what makes this film good and what makes the film unique... what makes this film stand out - right? Will it get shuffled into the ground among a sea of other superior ideas? Because, not all films are judged on their greatness... but on their sheer uniqueness and time and place. A film may not pop to the surface in a year when comedies rule. Or vice versa. Finding a film's place in the market, through film festivals, online marketing, or some other crazy unique and weird way - is its own journey. And today's world makes it all the more difficult to understand where and how...

If you've pictured it just right, understood that by the time it hits the market, people will be ready to see your film - you can be successful. If not, you may have to wait 20 years for people to realize the masterpiece you've made. It's happened to everyone. And any great producer.

At the end of the day, hopefully, you've made enough contacts now, that you can start it all over again.

Regardless of Politics, This Book Ad is Sick

2011-01-26T08:52:00.000-08:00

I Love America

2011-01-18T18:10:00.001-08:00

Sodom & Gomorrah: A History Lesson

2011-01-04T20:02:00.001-08:00

2010 : Year of the Big Leap

2010-12-31T08:56:00.000-08:00

5th ANNUAL "END OF THE YEAR REPORT" for 2010

See Last Year's Report

BEST MOVIES
(1) Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows pt. 1
(2) Blue Valentine
(3) Scott Pilgrim vs the World
(4) The Social Network
(5) Somewhere
(6) Inception
(7) Paranormal Activity 2
(8) Black Swan
(9) True Grit
(10) Exit Through the Gift Shop

WORST MOVIES
(1) Skyline
(2) Cop Out
(3) Killers
(4) Tooth Fairy
(5) Clash of the Titans

BEST TELEVISION
(1) Community
(2) Mad Men
(3) Lost
(4) Terriers
(5) Rubicon
(6) Glee
(7) It's Always Sunny / The League
(8) The Good Wife
(9) The Walking Dead
(10) Bored to Death

WORST TELEVISION
(1) The Defenders
(2) Chase
(3) Blue Blood
(4) $#*)%@# My Dad Says
(5) Outsourced

FAVORITE BOOK (Not Year Specific)
(1) The Clash of Kings
(2) The Game of Thrones

Hopefully, I'll get to a point where I'm caught up and reading books that are of that year... but it's hard. So many words... and I have so many...

BEST VIDEO GAMES
(1) Mass Effect 2
(2) Alan Wake
(3) Heavy Rain
(4) Bioshock 2
(5) Darksiders

Although, I haven't played Red Dead yet but I'm on it soon...

BEST ALBUM
(1) Beach House TEEN DREAM
(2) Sufjan Stevens AGE OF ADZ
(3) Vampire Weekend CONTRA
(4) Kanye West MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY
(5) Sleigh Bells TREATS
(6) Crystal Castles CRYSTAL CASTLES (II)
(7) Arcade Fire THE SUBURBS
(8) Broken Bells BROKEN BELLS
(9) The Radio Dept. CLINGING TO A SCHEME
(10) Daft Punk TRON: LEGACY OST

BEST SONGS

(1) FUTILE DEVICES Sufjan Stevens
(2) 10 MILE STEREO Beach House
(3) BY SOME MIRACLE Philip Selway
(4) TAXI CAB Vampire Weekend

(5) RUNAWAY Kanye West

(6) MALL & THE MISERY Broken Bells

(7) DOMESTIC SCENE The Radio Dept.

(8) WE USED TO WAIT Arcade Fire
(9) GONNA GET ALONG WITH YOU NOW She & Him
(10) YOU Gold Panda
(11) TAKE IT EASY Surfer Blood
(12) WHO MAKES YOU MONEY Spoon
(13) SUFFOCATION Crystal Castles
(14) BOYFRIEND Best Coast
(15) ON MELANCHOLY HILL Gorillaz

HONORABLE MENTION
BED INTRUDER Antoine Doniel & Gregory Bros.
RILL RILL Sleigh Bells

BEST WEBSITES

(1) Huffington Post

(2) Twitter

(3) Facebook

(4) ESPN: Fantasy Football!

(5) Google My Maps

BEST FOODS

(1) Tostino's Pizza

(2) Chicken Pot Pies

(3) Ice Cream

(4) Homemade Donuts

(5) Thanksgiving Subs (Turkey, Stuffing, Cranberry... on a roll)

BEST (Personal) IDEAS

(1) Not Working Almost All Year

(2) Making 2 28

(3) Fear Between Vultures

(4) Refocusing My Perspective & Direction

(5) Investing in Myself

WORST (Personal) IDEAS

(1) Forgetting My Health/Diet

(2) Pressing a Programmer for More Information, after getting a very nice and sympathetic rejection letter.

(3) ***** (GH?)

(4) Dropping Bowe & TO in my Fantasy League

(5) Not Working All Year... loans, credit cards...

FAVORITE MONTH

September: Fantasy Football, finishing my film with all its promise ahead of it, a great birthday thanks to Eric & Aurora & Scott... I just felt ready to tackle the world.

FAVORITE DAY

Birthday, Sept 26th: Won my first game of Fantasy Football, got to see Beach House & Vampire Weekend at the Bowl, spent it with good friends.

FAVORITE MOMENT

Watching a tree dance in the wind during CONTRA sung by Vampire Weekend. I used to watch trees move in the wind to music whenever I had a bad day and it was always so comforting, as if nature was making me smile.

WORST MONTH

March, my manager & I got into a disagreement about the film and ended up breaking up. It felt like my last break up. I didn't think the film would happen. I missed my ex and I longed for a time before I knew about my health issues...

WORST DAY

Mid-August, I met with my manager after a long break, thinking things would be alright, that we could put 2 28 behind us and move forward, but she insisted on certain attachments to it that I disagreed were her rights, as she walked away from the project, and I knew for certain that it was over.

WORST MOMENT
Not learning my lesson. And going back to things I know don't work.

FAVORITE THING I DID

Made my first feature film. Whether it is the worst things since molded slice bread. I made it.

THIS YEAR'S THEMES

(1) Taking A Leap

(2) Do What You Want

(3) Organize The Long Ignored

(4) Patience, Respect, Optimism, Gratitude, Intelligence (PROGI)

(5) Letting Things Go, When They Are Dead

HOPES / GOALS FOR THE NEXT YEAR

(1) Raise funds ($275,000) for "Fear Between Vultures"

(2) Shoot "Fear Between Vultures"

(3) Get "2 28" into a film festival

(4) Get caught up on books... and start reading current releases

(5) Get back into the gym, with a trainer - and get healthier

(6) Learn that food is a source of energy and not an intoxicating delicious drug

(7) Get new furniture

(8) Get financially back in good standing

(9) Buy a new car for Christmas

(10) Write 2 new screenplays

HOPES / GOALS FROM LAST YEAR FULFILLED?

(1) Shoot "2 28" (my first feature) & get into a major festival

Half. Shot it! But we didn't get into a festival... yet.

(2) Finish the scripts for "Man of Peace," "The Western," "Fear Between Vultures," & a new script

His Return, FBV both finished. So, Half again...

(3) Be accepted into a Screenwriter's Lab or Fellowship

Only applied to Sundance and didn't get in.

(4) Finish "Bright Like Neon Love" project

Did not finish - 2 28 took over.

(5) Continue to find a living where I can write & be creative

Unemployment helped me but I haven't gotten paid yet to filmmaker.

(6) Obama passes a SUCCESSFUL health care plan

I think so - could of been better.

(7) Find a new boyfriend

No, but I've been less intrested in this and more into my own career.

(8) Find a substancial financial lead for my "second" feature

Just finished the first, so now need to work on this.

(9) Start writing short stories, get published

Didn't do this at all.

(10) Start the new decade as a true filmmaker & artist

This I feel most accomplished.

NEWS NEWS NEWS THIS YEAR

(1) Wikileaks

(2) Haiti Earthquake

(3) BP Oil Spill

(4) GOP "Take Over"

(5) Afghanistan... Still going

(6) iPad & iPhone 4

(7) World Cup

(8) Chili Miner Rescue

(9) Things Going Viral or... memes

(10) Winter Olympics... ho hum

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

God. My family. Eric. Scott. Erica. The cast & crew of 2 28. Beach House. Apple. Unemployment. Dawn (for EMployment). Things Working Out Just Right. My Dad's creative & awesome drawings. Technology. Kinect. Video Games. Medicine.

At the end of the year, it always feels shorter than it actually was. In fact, I enjoyed this year so much thanks to the time off and now that I'm working again, it's starting to fly by. I can't wait for a time when I can do what I have worked for a very long time to do. It's a great feeling to feel empowered by your own creativity.

Here's to 2011... and my 30th birthday. Holy shit.

The Night Driver

2010-11-15T22:34:00.001-08:00

This Means Nothing And Why the 2010 "Wave" was Just a Splash

2010-11-03T10:13:00.000-07:00

Touting the record setting House exchange from Blue to Red, I hear many screaming that Obama has been repudiated. That this is the indicator that Obama is a one-term president. I see it in a completely different light.

Back in 1994 the same things happened. A 54 seat exchange in the House. Blue to Red. And in the Senate an eight seat exchange which also shifted Blue to Red. And the reasons for the swing were the same: people didn't like this Democrat running the White House and they thought the country was going in the wrong direction. Swings happen alot... in fact, since the Civil War & Reconstruction almost EVERY mid-term election is a swing save for FDR in 1932, Clinton's second mid-term election in 1998 and G. W. Bush's first in 2002.

But what is significant to me is the fact that our economy, which is always the main heart blood of an American election swing, is in the worst shape since the Great Depression in the 1920s. So this swing should of been historic. And in the house, it was: 65 seats. That's significant, however... The Senate HELD its Democratic majority to 51. And Vermont's Bernie Sanders can essentially count for 52 and Lieberman still says he caucuses with the Democrats, making it 53.

So, the election really is a six seat pick up for the "non-in-charge." Six.

Why did this happen? Why in 2010, when the economy and jobs are in 10 times the worse shape that they were in 1994, when the Democrats lost both Houses of Congress, did they only lose one?

I believe it is because in a Senate race, you get a real good look at a candidate and in the house races... you don't. You don't see House races on TV. You don't see debates between the candidates on TV and in the media and the entire state votes for you.

And when you get a real close look at the Republicans, well, Americans don't like what they see.

I believe this election was based on the GOPs great ability to cock block every single agenda of Obama's and create such lies and dissent around his presidency that people are afraid that we are doing terribly. When in fact, we're doing just fine.

Check out what he has done: Obama's Accomplishments

But the fact of the matter is, the GOP has no plan, no means to cut the deficit or cut spending without offending precious voters. And in so, they won't shrink the government, especially not to the likings of the Tea Party which will continue to eat the GOP and create more Christine O'Donnells, Sharon Angles, Linda McMahons & Joe Millers. Sure they got in the Rand Paul & Marco Rubio but I believe that was a fluke. In Florida Charlie Crist peeled votes from Meeks with Moderate Democrats and in Kentucky Conway was way too Blue for a very Red State.

And who is the contender against Obama in 2012? Palin? Not gonna happen. Romney? He would never win a GOP primary (if you didn't know, he helped write Obamacare), some unknown guy like the Jersey governor, Chris Christie? Maybe, but boy does he look like a corporate fat cat... check him out:

I just don't see it. I'm actually glad Obama gets a chance to work with Republicans - and I hope that he can play just as hard with him. The GOP has won the House. Let's see them call to order their agenda and see what they try to pass. Remember, the congress has a twenty point LESS approval rating than Obama.

It's going to be a fun two years.

Web Video of the Year. (Thanks Ryan, Morgan & Tanya)

2010-10-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

The Optimistic Grateful & Patient Nation

2010-10-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning thinking about the three main perspectives plaguing American success.

1) CYNICISM.

2) ENTITLEMENT.

3) INSTANT GRATIFICATION.

The first is the hardest one to crack but when America is optimistic, what the whole country was built on, we flourish. Presidents lived on the life blood of optimism. Reagan being a great example as well as Obama. Or at least, 2008 Obama. The GOP has destroyed the Obama Optimism by being a party that screams to televisions around America "NO!" when they disagree and then draw dead silent when they do agree. The Wall Street Reform Bill, was mainly agreed upon both parties and so was passed without much coverage, without much "drama." Is that part of our current election narrative? Nope.

But health care... screams from the Right! Every misplaced word, every misplaced line poured across our national eyes. The stimulus bill - murder in the capital!

This constant disagreement, constant bickering leads to cynicism. Nothing will get done.

There is longing for the 50s. The days of poodle dresses and malt shoppes. Of "Leave it to the Beaver" family politics. It was also an age before our failed war in Vietnam and the assassination of our nation's leaders. The world still worked and though there were disagreements on public policy, the enemy was clear: The USSR. The discorse was civil. We still dressed up for work.

We live in an era now where anything is possible. Terrorists could be our neighbors. I remember thinking myself that Obama could get shot. There were articles about it. Iraq and Afghanistan may go in history as two more failed wars, hopefully not to the extent of Vietnam but can anyone actually state the true purpose of those wars - and did we clearly meet those objectives?

Do we now feel safer? I feel safer because I feel we're more aware of the threat, but not because of the wars. In fact, I think we escalated the violence. I believe that Al Queda / Fundamentalists are even more resolute in destroying America and the problem with Al Queda is that it's an ideal system. America can't destroy ideas with guns. This is not the USSR.

These thoughts of uselessness lead to cynicism. To believing that it can never be fixed. The system will always be broken and politicians will always be crooked.

Couple this with entitlement and we're in a no win situation. The Great Depression lasted 10 years. TEN YEARS. A decade. A decade ago there was no 9/11 and yet people believe that Obama can't fix our problems. He can't?

But what about this:

All the red is George W. Bush's last year as president. All the blue is Obama's first year. You can see that employment is going up... yes, it's not great, it's not less than 5% but it's not over 10% either and that's only because it's been two years. Two. Not ten.

This was the GREATEST economic disaster since the Great Depression... a decade long disaster. It's been two years.

The internet is to blame here. We can get whatever we want, whenever we want it. I want pictures of bananas and within 30 seconds, I can choose from 710,000. Here's the first one:

Banana cakes:

209,000 photos of banana cakes.

Which leads me to my final thoughts... instant gratification. I took less than 20 seconds to pull that up. I get frustrated when I have to wait on my computer to boot up... a 30 second process and my brain believes I deserve it.

The 1950s wasn't perfect but we didn't have the technologies that have made us so reliant on making things easier. I can deposit my checks now by taking a photo with my phone. I don't even have to get out of my chair. We used to have a one on one rapport with our banker. Think I can name one guy at my bank? Nope. I don't think I've walked into a bank in almost two years.

I can buy music on my phone. I can tell you the actor in any movie within a minute. I can get the showtime to any movie in any city with two. Information has become so over populated and easy to grab that it no longer means anything.

This instant gratification has made us lazy. We take words as facts and facts as false. And because we're also cynical it's easier to just believe what your heart tells you, because the facts will back up whatever you want.

Obama the Muslim done.

Obama the Alien done.

Obama the Homosexual done.

Obama the Elephant done.

I found these within 10-20 seconds of thinking of them... it's frightening.

So, the solution? We have to relearn the joy of optimism:

Relearn our gratefulness:

Relearn patience:

FMFY - OCTOBER 15th, 2010

2010-10-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

For my second entry for Friday Music For You, I wanted to do a critical analysis of Sufjan Steven's AGE OF ADZ. The more I listen to this album, the more brilliant and heartbreaking it is. Now, as most of you know, I may be a bit biased on this front being that I got my own perspective on these issues, but I find there is no denying the story told within the notes, music and lyrics of this album.

I believe this album, whether this was his intention or not, is the struggle of Christianity and homosexuality. If anyone has followed Sufjan Stevens for anytime, you will find much of his music is a celebration of God and the Christian faith. From the very frank, "Seven Swans" album, to poetic yet frank lyrics of his love for Jesus Christ, in the song "To Be Alone With You."

AGE OF ADZ opens with the song "Futile Devices." It's a simple, acoustic guitar echoing through lyrics of a longing love for a mysterious figure. He sleeps on their couch, he watches them as they play guitar, it's a faraway admiration for some stranger. The last lines of the song remark, "I think of you as my brother, although that sounds dumb. And words are futile devices."

Unlike a song like "To Be Alone With You," which begins as a love song but is clearly about Jesus Christ, this love is not about God. There are specific references to place and time. The echo of his voice longs to tell them. And he makes it very clear to keep the gender ambiguous until the last line.

The following track, "Too Much." is disjointed. As if saying such blasphemy of love between men, is wrong. Electronic bleeps and bloops permeate, tossing us from the gentle sways of the first song. The opening lyrics, "if I was a different man, if I had blood in my eyes. I could of read of your heart." And the chorus calls out that, "there's too much riding on that."

The electronic noise fights with the melody, without ever being obnoxious it is cacophony of battling noises. As if there were something extra.

Continuing through to the title track, "Age of Adz." If you don't know, an adz is a tool to cut and shape wood, reshaping something once thought to be rigid and formed. After a big, bold chorus filled chant of what dies rots and what lives is eternal he ends the song more simple with this:

"Now, I have known you for just a little while. I feel I must be wearing my welcome. I must be moving on. For my intentions were good intentions, I could of loved you, I could of changed you. I wouldn't be so, I wouldn't feel so concerned by selfish thoughts. I'm sorry if I seem self-effacing, consumed by selfish thoughts. It's only because I love you deeply, it's all the love I've got."

"I Walked," begins with, "lover, will you look at me now?" It arrives like an apology, for his constant freak out. Constant walking away. The artist THE AGE OF ADZ is based on, was a self-proclaimed "prophet" Royal Robertson who used to have these rants against those he loved. He was consumed by his thoughts and he forced him to turn against the ones he loved.

After a slow turn in "Now That I'm Older," Sufjan returns to his religious roots and it feels almost sarcastic, angry. "Get Real, Get Right," feels like a reminder to himself to do what is right. These thoughts are wrong. These thoughts aren't what he's been raised to believe. Lyrics demand it. "You know you really got to... get real, get right with the Lord."

"Bad Communication" beeps afterwards. I imagine his conversation with God. It's ethereal and sci-fi. There is anger in it. "Someway, you will want it your way."

Mount Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii. Calling back the earlier song, "Age of Adz," Sufjan almost speaks the lyrics that he'd "rather be burned then be living in death." There seems to be a distancing of God's will versus his own. Some of the strongest arguments against God is the tragedy of disaster. Fire and brimstone comes to mind here. "Why does it have to be so hard? Follow me now or follow me down."

"All for Myself" begins the final act. In this, he begins to claim his own life. His own body. His own needs. His soul. There is plea and sadness as he yells out, choir and all.

"I'm not fucking around." Sufjan Stevens, who has been such a grand champion for his religious beliefs seems to struggle most here. He's never cursed in his songs before (as far as I can remember) and if he has, it has never been this angry or bluntly... repeating in almost Radiohead "Sit Down, Stand Up" fashion.

In the best use of lyric and I think really seals the deal for me in this struggle between Christian belief and homosexual, he states, "Well I Want To Be Well I Want To Be..." And it's chanted over and over and over again until you're not sure if he's saying, "well, I want to be" or "I want to be well" (as the song title suggests).

The final track, standing at 25 minutes is just amazing. It's like a quick review of the album so far. Beginning with a Pinback-eque piano vibe. "Woman, tell me what you want and I'll calm down. Without bleeding out with a broken heart." It goes on to seem as if he were giving up on his attractions. The line, "don't be distracted" sung by a woman's voice. This line repeats over and over again. It begins to fade out, echoing, a ping of a piano, until --

"Stupid man, in the window."

The organic instrumentation turns electronic. His voice auto-tuned. Disguised. The music pounds. A heart beat. He wants this. He beacons for him. Calling him to dance. And the music turns triumphant. A celebration of electronic sounds. Where the first 10 minutes feel like giving up, the second grows in his hope and triumph. And the music transforms into a modern brilliant dance song. Rough and incredible.

He loses himself in this. The lyrics "it's a long life, better hit yourself, get's your face together better roll along. Only one last chance. Could it get much better? Do you want to dance. It's a good life." Repeats... and then the album's anthem:

"Boy, we can do much more together. It's not so impossible!"

Things feel amazing - he has finally found his own happiness.

And then, it shifts.

At first, the voice turns deep. It slows slightly down. As if - regret has fallen in. The music softens, the electronics no longer feel in tune with the rest of the song... strings take over and everything falls into a sustained single note.

Guitar takes over. Like the first song. The earlier music, the earlier song forgotten. And the final lyrics.

"I never meant to cause you pain. My burden is the weight of a feather. I never meant to lead you on. I only meant to please me, however, and then you tell me, 'boy we can much more... together.' I nothing but a selfish boy... And did you think I'd stay the night? And did you think I'd love you forever? And then you tell me 'boy we can much more... together.'

"I got to tell you, girl, I want nothing less than pleasure. I got to tell you boy, we made such a mess, together."

Heartbreaking.

Buy this album today.

Community is Genius! (Watch Abed)

2010-10-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

FMFY - OCTOBER 8th, 2010

2010-10-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

I'd like to start posting amazingly awesome songs for all my friends who want to find great new music, bands and songs... this is my (F)riday (M)usic (F)or (Y)ou. The first is from The French Kicks, one of the best bands of the 2000s. Here is there (very lo-fi) video:

French Kicks | Trial of the Century | Trial of the Century (Album)

The second is from the always fantastic music country Sweden and a band named Melpo Mene.

Melpo Mene | Hello Benjamin | Holes (Album)

Enjoy.

Your friend,

Ben

Television by Way of the Dodo

2010-09-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

#SaveLonestar

It's a little hash tag floating around the internet for the four or five people who watched the series premiere. It's a show about a charming, likable con man, who after doing unlikeable things, tries to make amends, even though his decisions are still guided by a lifetime of the con. A show with a great dilemma and a promise for great drama.

Will it still be good tonight? Too early to tell, but the premiere was pretty spectacular and in an age of network television drowning in cop drama, court cases and detective procedurals, which I've been told are somehow different, it was nice to see a good old fashioned night time soap opera.

But no one watched.

And that's a problem because over on another network, Bristol Palin, The Situation and The Hoff, were dancing in front of many money making eyes. So, for those who care to watch television for its creative, artistic merits rather than yet another reality competition, we're about to lose the promise of something new, to only be replaced by something old.

And the most frustrating part of it, is that most of the people who would probably love the show, are waiting for it to be free on Hulu or Netflix, once people tell them it's the new great show to watch.

I recently read an article on Mashable asking "how are you watching the fall TV line up?" And it broke down to about a quarter who watch it broadcast, a quarter who steal it, a quarter on Hulu and the last quarter which is broken down between Netflix or other means. A completely unscientific poll of course, but the crowd who reads Mashable is probably the crowd who'd enjoy Lone Star... and 3/4 of them aren't watching it live, the life line of a show's success.

I enjoy my popcorn television, True Blood & Fringe. I watch reality shlock like Survivor and Big Brother. But I can enjoy those shows because it's balanced by great artistic achievements like Mad Men and Breaking Bad and the could be Lone Star.

To enjoy long term good television, one must apply it like you do a great meal: a little broccoli with your slices of chocolate cake.

As a writer, I enjoy the stories brought to me each week by my glowing box of light. I like the drunken drama given to me by Ronnie & Sammy as well as the sadness of Don Draper. The lingering question of whether or not Jesse Pinkman shot that guy and the strange oddity of the ZingBot 3000.

I just wish people understood that everything isn't free.

And the constant rise of the free and online television experience is slowly eroding the great network television show.

I hope that people truly understand that the shows that are enjoyed on Netflix & Hulu had to first be proven on the screens of people all around the country. If it fails there, it won't be coming to an internet stream near you. It easy to forget that good television came from original viewers and not from DVDs and internet sources.

A potentially amazing and fantastic show like the likes of Lone Star, could very well last forever...

But if only you watch.

An Open Letter to Anthem Blue Cross of CA

2010-09-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Anthem Blue Cross of CA:

I made a deal with you.

I pay you $130 a month and in exchange, you cover me in a disaster over $5,000. This way the burden wouldn't fall to my family if I were to become paralyzed in a car accident or dealt the heavy financial blow of cancer. A lot of "ifs" for $130 a month but it's an insurance policy.

I'm just wondering what changed about that deal? I mean, I have paid you faithfully for 2 1/2 years, I was never late for payments, even though I've been unemployed for a very long time. I've even decided you over my student loans & credits cards. (By the way, they are quite jealous, calling me every few hours...)

But you want me to pay more now? I mean, I can't afford to pay more. I have a certain amount of bills I pay each month and you changing me an extra $30 just doesn't seem right to me. It's not going to break my bank, but it does make me have different choices at the grocery store.

I'm also wondering, because you're charging me more, do I get BETTER insurance? Because, I do remember that letter a year ago that stated you're actually going to charge me more for prescriptions and doctor's visits. I didn't really complain that you changed the terms on me, giving me less for what I originally signed up for.

I spent some time looking over insurance plans and decided yours was the one I could pay for and yours was the one that covered what I wanted. When you changed the terms, it didn't really feel like my choice anymore...

Isn't this a two way street? Don't I get a say in this? I mean, I understand if it's harder to cover people, but couldn't you just raise the rates for new customers. Probably not the nicest thing you can do, but I understand you're a business. I mean, when I go into a store and get something cheaper than my fellow consumer, it's probably because I bought it at the right time.

I'm also a really faithful customer. Have been for over 2 1/2 years. And, for my current health status, the prescription pill that I take, one that costs almost $1,400 a month, you don't cover. But, I've already forgiven you guys for that one. I mean, why would you take my $130, if you you already have to pay $1,400... not good business. And you are in this to make money. Because, health coverage isn't something that I need, just something that would be nice. It would be nice to take my pill once a day so that I don't get sick.

So, please, tell me - what exactly am I getting out of this deal?

How much more are you going to charge me? My friend said he spoke with you and you want to raise rates again in March. And you will continue to raise rates until Obamacare begins in 2014. Is that your way of sticking it to "the man?"

Don't you understand that almost half of all bankruptcies are because of medical bills?

If you raise my rates, I may not be able to afford to pay you. And what happens if that disaster does happen? I mean, it's not like I can prepare to pay $100,000+ for medical coverage if I'm stuck in a wheel chair, or I get some sort of debilitating disease.

And as for my current situation, I can't get further coverage. You see, I have one of those "pre-existing conditions." Remember? The one you fought me over and had to look through all my medical bills to ensure that I wasn't a scam artist. I mean, why would you want to go into business with someone just trying to steal your money.

Anyway, if you raise my rates and I'm unable to pay you, then I can't get new coverage until 2014. I'm sure the state will help me out, but do I really want to keep using them? They don't have an option for me to pay them (those republicans didn't think it was necessary). And I do have $130 now to pay you.

I want to continue giving you money.

I haven't changed my mind or decided to give you less money each month. I kept my end of the bargain up... so, tell me - what changed between the deal that I signed with you and me? I just think I need a more reasonable explanation then you needing more money because frankly, so do I.

Thanks,

Ben

PS - When my bank changed cards on me, and my direct deposit didn't go out last month so I called up and you charged me... all that happened - so you can please stop sending me bills every week for money I already gave you. It's been a month.

How the Internet Works.

2010-08-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

Step One: LOCAL NEWS FOOTAGE POSTED.

Step Two: Re-EDIT THE FOOTAGE USING AUTO-TUNE (Sell on iTunes)

Step Three: WHITE PEOPLE MAKE A COVER

Step Four: SONG BECOMES CLUB HIT

Step Five: NEW LOCAL NEWS CLIP RELEASED. REPEAT.

Why "Follow The Money Trail" is Not a Good Argument

2010-08-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

The Parent Company Trap

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

The Future of Progress & Enlightenment

2010-08-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

There Is No "Ground Zero Mosque."

2010-08-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks Jonathan

2010-08-02T08:46:00.001-07:00

My Own Soundtrack. Part I

2010-07-18T01:46:00.000-07:00

For some reason, at 1:30 in the morning, I decided to look through my life songs. Songs that in someway or another acted as a journal of my life.

1. I DON'T KNOW by the Beastie Boys (from the Hello Nasty album)

This song, has always been my personal anthem. No song has ever truly captured my mood, my outlook in life, the way I want to leave the world. It's what I want to hear when I die.

Lyrics: What's pleasing to the eye? In my delusion of my sight. It's not what I find when I reach into the light. I have lost my mind.

I'm walking through time. Deluded as the next guy, pretending and hoping to find. That distant piece of mind. (doo doo doo) I don't know. Who does know? There is no... where to go. (doo doo doo doo doo doo)

It's not so simple as I try to wish. Then again, what is? There is no other worthy quest. So on, I go. I don't know. Who does know? There is no... where to go. I don't know. Who does know? Where to go. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know...

2. GAGGING ORDER by Radiohead (from the Com Lag EP)

I was supposed to graduate in 2005. However, life threw me a curve ball and my financial situation, student loans I expected to come in, didn't come through and so... I had to take a pseudo-year off. When all my friends went on to make their capstone/thesis films, I was taking basic sideline classes, waiting and hoping to make a film the following year. When I moved out of my apartment and back into my Mom's house - I had this strange feeling of leaving behind myself. Looking at my own body. This song is obviously about addiction, that which I could definitely say I had some of, in my own ways, but for me it was learning to leave my old self behind - and look toward a new self.

Lyrics: I know what you're thinking but I'm not your property. No matter what you say. No matter what you say. Move along. There's nothing left to see. Just a body. Nothing left to see.

A couple more for breakfast. A little more for tea. Just to take the edge off. Just to take the edge off. Move along. There's nothing left to see. Just a body, pouring down the street. Move along. There's nothing to see. Just a body. Nothing left to see.

Move along.

3. ELECTRONIC RENAISSANCE by Belle & Sebastian (from the Tigermilk album)

Writing "The Lonely Lights. The Color of Lemons." Was an adventure in exploring my past, the memories from my childhood and coming to terms with my sexuality. The mood of that exploration and writing, sitting in my lone apartment back in Orlando was this song. A dance song, sad and old, worn out and taking a retrofit in a world much changed. Monochrome in the 1990's.

Lyrics: Play a game with your electronics. Take a step to the discotheque and people... go outside where there's someone watching cars go by and the city's tall with steeples. Hand in hand with the Electronic Renaissance is the way to go, yeah Hand in hand with the Electronic Renaissance is the way to go, boy. Hand in hand with the Electronic Renaissance is the way to go. You're learning, soon you will do the things you wanted. Since you were wearing glitter badges.

If you dance for much very longer. You'll be known as the boy who's always dancing. If you work for much very longer. You'll be known as the boy who's always working.

Monochrome in the 1990's. You go disco and I'll go my way. Monochrome in the 1990's. You go disco and I'll go my way. Monochrome in the 1990's. You go disco and I'll go Funkadelic, man. Is the way to go. So drop a pill and then say hello...

And many more to come...

Is It Just Easy to Hate M. Night?

2010-07-03T11:15:00.000-07:00

Look, I'm not a huge fan of this guy. And the rumor mill makes him seem kind of a dick and a huge ego maniac. However, he has made some amazing films. Sixth Sense is amazing. And Unbreakable is just as quiet and beautiful as you remember it.

Signs is a great popcorn flick.

The Village however, is where the turn happened. For every great directorial choice there was, an odd one followed it. And his "twist" ending became cliche. So, he stopped himself. And made a direct line of attack on the critics.

And we got "Lady in the Water." There was no subtly to this film. It was a direct line into M. Night's brain. And man, did we see the ego maniac. But, he has some points to make... in years when the big blockbusters were remakes, re-imaginings, comic books, children's books - there was hardly an original blockbuster to be seen... in fact, I could be wrong, but I think in the year that Lady in the Water came out (or it might of been The Village), it was the ONLY original tent pole film. And it might of been the only one that wasn't a sequel...

I give him credit for playing the studio system and being able to continue making films, his films - and not reduce to remakes.

Then The Happening. Yikes. I'm still chewing on that one. It wasn't good. But, then - it was... it was just - it was really odd. Especially the over acting... something that wasn't a trademark of his films... I just didn't get it.

And then, The Last Airbender.

My ex introduced me to this show. And it is amazing. One of the best TV shows, period. Not just a good kid's show, but an incredibly well plotted, well told, emotional, funny - fantastic show.

The movie - was just what any adaptation usually is.

A plot to plot, no character development adaptation.

See: Harry Potter 1 & 2, The Golden Compass, The 2 Naria flicks and most plain ol' adaptations. Now, once in a while you'll get A Dark Knight or Lord of the Rings but to be honest, Batman Begins isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Adaptations of amazing works are usually just a greatest hits album. You hit the fine points and you move on. You get to see The Whomping Willow. The Wardrobe. The big fight.

The Last Airbender was alright. Not amazing, but by no means terrible. It was just a paint by numbers adaptation. An average C rated film... Sure, there was a lot of humor removed from the film, something I think people missed but it's hard to get that animated humor from a cartoon on a live action screen.

However, there were some great moments, too.

This brings me to something I just don't understand... 8%?????

On Rotten Tomatoes. ARE YOU SERIOUS!? Did you guys see this film? I mean, I just don't get it. I'd understand 60. Or 50... There's nothing wrong with this film. Nothing new... it's not an 94% film like the Dark Knight. But it by no means deserves an 8%...

And this makes me believe people just are so cynical nowadays that they just go into a movie and decide before hand... how many people already believe Inception is the best film of the year... (I do). And how many people didn't see The Killers but know it's one of the worst?

I've learned a lesson here - and decided that I will reserve judgement until I've seen a movie.

This doesn't mean I'm going to see you The Killers, not to be confused with Stanley Kubrick's Killers which is amazing... but seriously, go in, get some popcorn and see one of the few good films this summer season... a SFX heavy mythic adventure in The Last Airbender.

Oh - and Knight and Day - is fun. The Tom Cruise hate is also old and tiresome.

Two Surprises!

2010-06-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

First of all, I found this trailer today:

Secondly, it comes out in OCTOBER! That means... only 4 months - hooray!

Video Game Pacing

2010-06-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

This week I've enjoyed watching the coverage of E3 on G4. I'm definitely a geek at heart and I love to consume all the new games, TV, movies, books and music coming out with a few exceptions. This being said, there is a few things I hate about video games, something that turns me into a 10 year old boy who screams and wants to throw his controller. I say this as an almost 30 year old man.

First of all... pacing. This is something that a game like Uncharted 2 did - amazingly. There wasn't a moment where I felt I was just pressing buttons and trying to get passed a level. I was constantly - in the game. It was difficult at times but not out of the ordinary (for the game) difficult. I've heard some games are really a great challenge... Like Demon's Soul and Ninja Gaiden. These games I completely avoid, for as much as I play video games, I'm not the greatest button masher... it took me a long time to finally get the quick time events down in games like God of War...

There are times however, that the pacing of a game just totally and completely pisses me off. As in just now. I was enjoying an otherwise AMAZING game - Super Mario Galaxy 2 when I get into this one challenge. A single level (out of 120). The goal of the level is to collect 10,000 points through coins. To get those coins you have to jump on the heads of these blubbery little guys who spit rocks at you. If you don't jump on them, you don't get the coins.

If you somehow manage to make a combo jump, one guy after another, your points double. Sounds easy enough - except - if you get hit, you have to go through an entire real time animation of you falling, making noises and slowly getting up. Also when you jump and then land, it takes a second for you to actually move. My roommate commented that he moved like a tank.

On top of this, you got 120 seconds. You only get 100 points per jump, plus if you collect the coin they leave behind, you get another 100... so in fact you have to jump on 50 guys in 120 seconds - as long as you pick up their coin. All this maybe doesn't make sense but the bottom line is - it's insanely difficult.

Not impossible and if I take a break and come back to it in a day or two, it'll probably be easier... but, it has taken probably 20-25 lives to get to the point at which I still can't do it.

Now, in other levels, I breeze through them. They are creative, mind twisting, hilarious and fun. Sometimes, they are difficult and I'll die a few times and sometimes I'll die just until I figure out the secret.

There is no secret in this level. It's just pure jump and twist. Of course, the perspective is constantly switching and when you think you're going to land in one spot you land in another just in time for a rock to the head, throwing you back. Here you are struggling and yelling at the screen to just GET UP! Of course, you don't get up immediately, you sort of sit there for a second. Time goes by.

So in a game where I discover all new worlds, defy gravity, explore some of the most ingenious platforming I've ever played, sometimes where I've gasped out loud... there is this stupid out of place level that has halted the pacing of the game. I've been traveling 60 miles an hour and now I'm in a traffic jam.

Some gamers love a great challenge. I don't mind it too much but if it's a challenge, make the whole game a challenge or at least balance it out so that there is an even mix. AND... don't add so many variables to die in one level. Especially when that is completely out of the ordinary for the rest of the game.

In this level, you can die by: rock, accidentally hitting them on the side, falling off the edge, not going fast enough, hitting a bubble, going the wrong way, getting hit by a rock while trying to make a combo... and if just one or two variables hits you - if you mess up - you might as well give up because you won't be able to finish the level in time... all that wasted real time animation of you falling back and whining.

It's out of place.

Completely.

Frustratingly.

Imagine going to a friends house and walking at a certain pace and then suddenly 1000 people are crowded in a single square block. It takes you a half an hour to get through. And then you walk the rest of the way with no interference... would you want to take that same journey again, if you knew that 1000 people stood in your way from an otherwise pleasant trip?

Don't you hate it when a television show completely misses the mark, say a particular episode about tattoos in LOST? Although, it worked for me, a lot of people complain about the last season of the Sopranos because it takes half of the season to wander through a Vito storyline.

It's like - if this were typical or expeced, I'd be down... but in entertainment, I want what I have been promised. If I'm promised surprises, slow pacing, upper cuts and sideswipes, bring it on. If I'm promised a CSI button up bow at the end - and I choose to watch the show because of that... don't give me David Lynch... if I want David Lynch, I'll take it elsewhere... I watch CSI (Or whatever show I'm watching) because I want and expect a certain experience.

This goes for movies.

This was one of my biggest complaints with Shaun of the Dead. It began as one movie and then just got bored with itself and changed its tone. It came off false to me. I like consistency... or at least a thematic throughline. You can mess with structure, blend genres and be experimental... but have a reason too.

I see no reason that a level as complicated as this should exist in a perfectly fun and inventive game. To me, it shows a laziness and lack of detailed attention to pacing, difficulty and ingenuity. And maybe this goes for the rest of Nintendo's new line up... Zelda looks the same, GoldenEye, Icarus - all old and worn stories. Give me something new... and by god - it's 2010! What's up with that crappy graphics!?

But, all in all, Galaxy 2 is pretty cool.

I Got Plans on December 22nd

2010-06-15T00:46:00.000-07:00

A Cool Way To Look At The World.

2010-06-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

Things That Are Awesome

2010-06-12T17:18:00.000-07:00

I recently came across a blog entitled "1000 Awesome Things." I really like it and it's made me think of things that I enjoy and so, I thought I'd list a few here:

A GREAT DANCE SONG. (Underwear by FM Belfast, most recently)
PERFECTLY MIXING THAT JAR OF NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER (just peanuts and salt) WITH THE OIL ON TOP, KEEPING IT IN THE FRIDGE AND HAVING SOME THE NEXT DAY AND IT'S THE MOST PERFECT THING IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE.
FINISHING A REALLY LONG BOOK (Game of Thrones, most recently)
WEARING SOCKS ALL DAY, AND TAKING THEM OFF UNDER THE SHEETS.
WAKING UP AND REALIZING YOU HAVE NO PLANS AND CAN SLEEP LONGER.
FALLING ASLEEP TO THE NIGHTLY NEWS PODCAST.
SETTING ALARMS ON MY iPHONE.
A MARATHON of GREAT TELEVISION (The Wire and Breaking Bad, most recently)
THROWING A PARTY.
GRILLING OUT WITH FRIENDS.
DAY TRIPS.
THE DESERT, THE MOUNTAINS & NATURE TRAILS.
THE FIRST FEW BITES OF ANY MEAL WHEN YOU'RE STARVING.
REALIZING YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO DO, WHEN YOU SUDDENLY BECAME BORED.
PAYCHECKS.
LONG HUGS.
MAKING FILMS.

I'll add to this list as I think of things. What are yours?

Wow. (Thanks Jesse)

2010-06-07T22:55:00.000-07:00

FM BELFAST "Underwear"

2010-05-31T23:25:00.000-07:00

FANTASTIC. Music Video.

Underwear by FM Belfast (Music Video) from Daniel Scheinert on Vimeo.

Dear May

2010-05-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

You have been, hands down, one of the worst months in years. Worse not because bad things happened, because at least I can say when bad things happen, "well, that happened for a reason..." You have just been awful because nothing happened and when something did it was completely unspectacular. I'm sorry to say. The one exception was LOST Live, which was pretty spectacular but that came at the price of losing LOST all together.

I hope a year from now when we meet again, we can do this whole "month" thing again under better circumstances. Have a great eleven month sleep.

Also - June Gloom... you better have just given that off to May because I'm ready to have a great and fantastic month. See you tomorrow.

Love always,
Ben

The End... of L O S T

2010-05-24T03:36:00.000-07:00

IF, OF COURSE, YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE SERIES FINALE, STOP READING.

So many other people are 10 times more articulate and amazing and well versed in references and nuances, but I feel I want to capture my thoughts just in case one day in the future I want to tell someone how I felt about this show and just can't remember.

I want to dissect it, in the reverse of how it revealed itself. Peeling back the onion to its original form. I first want to go with the big last reveal. That the "sideways world" was essentially BARDO (Thanks Kyle). An intermediate state. What's also kind of cool about Bardo is that there are six states... and there are six seasons of Lost.

1) THIS LIFE / Survivor

2) MEDITATION / Hatch

3) DREAM / The Others

4) DYING / Freighter *Flash Forwards

5) DHARMATA / Dharma *Time Travel

6) EXISTENCE / Flash Sideways

Now the first things that sticks out to me is the fact the our fifth season dealt in part with DHARMAville, and well, that's just fun. If we look at Jack, our main guy, the one we begin and end on... eye open and eye close - this was his first Bardo... his life. This life. All of Desmond's "see you in another life, brother," is pretty amazing stuff looking back on it. But, as we look at the show as a whole - the entire show took place within the last four years of Jack's life. Waking up after the crash of 815 and dying in the very same place. Simple.

At his death (rebirth) place he looks up and gets to see his friends (and his love Kate) flying off. He fixed them. Helped them. Beautiful. Some might say that was 815 flying over but the wings on the plane are bent up like the Ajira plane... so it is definitely not 815.

So, all the shit that happens to Jack (and his fellow 815ers): polar bears, time travel, smoke monsters - all of this was real. Crazy, but real. But none of it was mystical or spiritual or spooky... it's just a bunch of weird shit and all of it could be explained by fringe science. The things that supposedly can happen when you start to apply theoretically science... well, it just gets weird.

So here's my theory of the island's time line (I have been writing an extensive one, that's about 25 pages long) but I'll keep it short for this purpose:

An island exists with strange electromagnetic properties. And if you click that link you'll see a whole lot of equations and things, I could NEVER explain. I also think to a time when humans thought the earth was round, or that Apollo rode a chariot across the sky, or that mercury was alright to have in thermometers. Things that we now know, doesn't mean we'll always know or understand. And how we explain physics or strange phenomenon now - may not be the same 100 or 1000 years from now... So - "what the island is" is nothing more than a place that has some electromagnetic properties that causes strange things in the human body. And one of the main properties it has: is the ability to create one's will. You want to walk but can't... done. You want to live forever... done. You want your cancer gone... done.
The first inhabitants were Egyptians... those really fucking smart guys that built the pyramids and knew of things like... how to mummify people and how to build pyramids! They came to the island and discovered these properties. They saw its raw power and so built their version of things to "protect" it... like a cork in a red glowing hole. Or a giant statue of a God that represents (in so many words)... death, birth and rebirth. How much they knew or understood about it, doesn't matter to me just the fact that they saw something they couldn't explain so built things to "protect it." Like a cork. And a temple.
Time passes and a woman comes to the island, wanders around, finds the light cave and falls in to become a smoke monster. Again, I think all this can be explained through theoretical fringe science or at least in the magical world of a television show... like a certain young David on a drugs from the dentist... "is this real life?" No, David, this is a network television show.
RULES OF THE SMOKE MONSTER: Can inhabit any dead body on the island.
Another boat shipwrecks on the island including a pregnant woman named Claudia who births twin boys (one of which is named Jacob). The Smoke Monster Woman kills Claudia and raises the two boys as her own... as the new protectors of the island. She tells them two very important things... things that aren't true... but because it's her "will" then it is true on the island. (1) You can never leave the island. (2) You can't kill each other.
One of the boys (later known as the Man in Black or MIB) is visited by the ghost of his real Mom and discovers his true past. He then lives with "the Others" on the island. And three things happen: (1) He wants to leave the island. (2) He thinks that people are inherently bad. (3) He learns the island has mysterious powers. These three things together make Smoke Monster Mom (SMM) afraid. So she destroy the camp that the MIB has been living at.
Jacob is the innocent one, and SMM believes protecting the island means sometimes you got to kill people or lie or manipulate them in protecting them. So, she always believed that the MIB may be the one to take her job - but Jacob just had to do... being that MIB just wants to leave. When MIB kills SMM, Jacob kills MIB by throwing him into the light cave and WHOOPS! Another smoke monster. Who could easily be killed while he's in human form by any means... but because SMM willed that they can't kill each other, well that's what they believe, that's their faith - and so it's true. However, when Jacob wants to leave the island... he can. There are no rules. What they believe is willed. What they WILL is true. And MIB wants to leave the island but his faith makes him believe he can't without killing Jacob.
2000 years go by. 2000. That's a lot of years. I've been around for 28. I can't imagine another 1972... that's crazy talk. In that time, the conversations they must of had, the decisions they must of made, the people that stumbled onto the island... it's just a lot of fucking time. And in that time, Jacob must of gotten really tired of protecting the island. And his concern for humans and mankind and life and everything, well, I don't think he cared all that much. He's just there to do one thing... protect the light cave. And the MIB was always trying to find a loop hole in order to kill Jacob and leave the island. And they disagreed about human nature... and they played a game that evolved... and maybe evolved to include human manipulation.
DHARMA was just another camp trying to figure out the island, another camp that needed to be purged in order to protect the island, and Ben was being manipulated by the Smoke Monster his whole life in order to finally destroy Jacob... all of it was built on - faith.
And so it brings us to 815 and the crash...

And for me, that answers everything. Well, almost everything... I still want to know: when/how did the donkey wheel get built... but again 2000 years have gone by before 815 crashes so many things could of happened, we see them trying to do it even in DHARMA time. So, who's to say someone in 1432 didn't come by and build it... in LOST the 1400!

As for the numbers - I think this is the one thing that's a BIIIIIIIIIG stretch... and maybe it's just too much of a coincidence... but, basically in 1962 it was an equation that predicted the end of the world... so when "the incident" occurred, which is Juliet banging on a nuke bomb, which I assume still didn't go off but somehow only caused just another time flash... the DHARMA Initiative had to build a station to "contain" the energy and they used the equation to deflect the energy, by pressing a button every 108 minutes... the addition of the numbers - 4 8 15 16 23 42.

At the same time and completely separate... Jacob has a lighthouse, that he uses to watch his potential 360 candidates, each of them bearing a different degree... and it just so happens that the guys that happened to crash on 815, were the same guys who were marked on the degrees that so happened to be the numbers... but obviously Kate was also touched. So, could others have been touched too - like Eko? Or Boone? Or some dude who came to the island in the 90s that never made it within the text of the show... and was he one of the others of hundreds of people that came to the island?

I don't think Jacob KNEW that 815 was going to crash on the island but I do believe that when they did crash on the island, and Ben, the current leader of the "Others" figured out who was on the plane - certain ones were considered candidates. And were put on a "list." I think Jacob "touched" alot of people on the off chance that they were brought to the island... and eventually they found their way to the island.

Maybe Rousseau was a candidate. And Montand... but when he was "crossed out." The MIB could kill Montand and the rest of the crew. There are many times on the show that the words, "the island isn't done with you yet..." came across... that's pretty much enough for me to think that as long as you're a candidate, you're still needed.

Except for Hume, who had a special property against the electro-magnetics.... I also believe that the properties of the island shifted after the "incident" and caused women who conceived on the island to die.

But back to the numbers, it just seems too much of a coincidence that all these things would come to pass but - maybe that's why we are viewing THESE particular people and not a group of people who came in 1734. Or 1822. Or 1998. These particular people were the ones who took over for Jacob. And at the same time, they just happened to be the same people who were numbered after something the DHARMA folks came up with. And some people may believe it's fate.

I think Eko said it best however, in "?" when he said: "we don't push the button because we have too, we push the button because we believe we need too."

And... yada yada yada... Jack dies.

And when he dies - he is brought into the intermediate state. Where he must remember his fellow comrades and experience his life with them. The ones most important to him. And for these people: Kate, Sawyer, Desmond, Hurley, Rose, Bernard, Charlie, Claire, Boone, Shannon, Sayid... all of them reunite to join into the next realm... be it heaven or... another life.

"If we don't live together, we're going to die alone."

Beautiful.

A Song Floated In

2010-05-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

Last night my neighbor was playing this song - and it floated in my room on a breeze. The echo of her voice and the drowzy lyrics felt like something out of the cinema. I was suddenly IN a movie. In a montage about my life. It was strange. I was just reading in bed but I suddenly felt like something more important was supposed to be happening.

It was really surreal and very magic.

Siskel & Ebert '80s Outtakes

2010-05-07T18:06:00.000-07:00

Get Out of There... Seriously.

2010-05-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

Why 3D Can Be Amazing

2010-05-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge proponent for 3D.

I honestly believe in the right hands and if only a few more circumstances happen, as I will lay out below, 3D will be considered just as important for cinema as the advent of color, sound and the anamorphic lens. However, after seeing the preview for Piranha 3D and seeing the flat framing and composition of these "made-3D-in-post" movies (such as Clash & Alice) this advent will likely fade as just a fad.

I know a movie is not a 3D movie when their glory shot after announcing the movie is in 3D is a bird's eye view of girls on trampolines. Boobies flying at you isn't 3D. Maybe hilarious for some and hot for others but we can't argue the merits of 3D with 3D titties.

I am hoping the likes of great filmmaking talents such as the recent announcement that Scorsese will take on a 3D film will shift the balance from the fad realm into the reality. It is important to me because as a director, 3D gives a whole new dimension to express emotion, tone and story.

The simplest way to describe this is to imagine a world without the anamorphic lens. Without the 2.35:1 ratio. Not just your 16:9 at home but true and glorious anamorphic. Movies like "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Lawrence of Arabia." Even modern greats like "The Royal Tenenbaums." These films could not have been told with a 4:3 ratio. The tone and mood would have been totally shifted. Could you imagine those vast and lonely desert shots in Lawrence on a old square frame? You need that panoramic view to experience it the way David Lean intended. Just as Wells used his 4:3 framing to create and tell Citizen Kane. Deep focus to draw into the film, down into the frame.

In this frame of Citizen Kane you can see how Wells used the 4:3 space to tell his story. What happened in the foreground was in direct opposition to what was going on in the background. I won't spoil anything here but you can see he told this with the framing and lenses he had available to him. He chose a deep focus so that you could either choose the foreground or the background. What also is brilliant about this scene is that the editing is created in your head because your eye isn't capable of seeing both at once, instead you have to, in so many words, "rack focus." And remember - this is deep focus - there is no shallow depth of field. Wells wants you to know that BOTH things are happening at once. You choose how to experience it. There isn't a rack focus to tell you look at this - THEN this.

There also isn't two separate shots: one of the signing of these papers and the other of the kid playing happily in the background. They are happening simultaneously and in showing them as such it creates a powerful image. And image, as we all know, is the ONLY reason movies exist.

One of the greatest problems I have with much of cinema today, even though I can enjoy many films for many reasons, is that the frame and composition has been reduced to a simple master shot with coverage. There isn't a keen observation on the scene's purpose and how to use the tools before you to unfold that revelation.

The magic of cinema is gone.

3D, I believe, is both great and terrible. It is great because it has brought on the magic of cinema again. People flocked to Avatar not because of its great story or performances, in that department it was rather bland. It was held up as the number one box office of all time because there was magic in the frame. 3D made people feel they were in Pandora. I say that 3D is terrible because this a false magic.

I wouldn't propose that Avatar was a great film because of the film itself but it has allowed other filmmakers to utilize a new storytelling technique. And so far - no one has taken the bait. We have gotten Alice and Clash but are you like me and have completely forgotten those films? My friends and I even saw Clash in 2D.

The missing link here is that directors haven't yet chosen the language. As directors we are like the monks in high towers, dictating the language by which is to become the standard. Citizen Kane is a great study in the language of filmmaking.

I would propose that 3D can best be described as a cube and 2D is a canvas. 3D failed in the 50s because the directors of that age believed that 3D was about the gimmick. Things flying out of the screen. It works in a setting like a theme park and maybe in some bigger tent pole movies, but 3D would never work for a film like Little Children when you are constantly having, well, 3D titties.

However, when I have seen the future of 3D is when I started to believe that the wall in front of me, that giant screen was no longer projecting a flat image but it was a window into a world. That world, like that image of Citizen Kane, is multi-dimensional. There is a foreground and a background. We as viewers get to decide on how we view the film. A choose your own adventure.

In grade school, after we read a book, we were sometimes asked to make dioramas of a particular scene. We would then go home and take an old shoebox, prop it on its side and proceed to cut out paper characters of some interesting scene that stood out in the book.

3D can be imagined in the same way. A 3D box. One that has its edges. We as the audience can physically see those edges. We are only allowed a small window into this world that exists. Like a theater with an upstage and downstage. There are dimensions and when we pull back the curtains you are allowed in through that window.

So, when something pops out of the screen, the illusion is broken when the image falls to the edge of the window. A water droplet coming at us can only stay within the center of the frame without breaking the 3D illusion. This is why gimmick 3D won't last - it is so limiting in its framing. However, once a director imagines the edges of the 3D screen as a window frame and everything beyond it is the cube by which a viewer is experiencing it, we then get a new language to express.

I honestly believe 3D can have the same amazing affect on film the way that anamorphic or color or sound has. It of course needs to get through its child phase, foolish and naive. It'll evolve into a rebellious teenager where 3D is the anti-Avatar and soon it will mature into the next great language barrier.

That, and of course, screens without the need for glasses.

But, for me - it's an exciting time to be a filmmaker.

8 Bits of Crazy

2010-04-29T11:17:00.001-07:00

One of the Most Amazing Shorts... Ever

2010-04-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

Last Night : The End

2010-04-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

Please avoid again if you haven't seen last night's "HAPPILY EVER AFTER" episode of #Lost but if you have, I am so crazy wow wow over it. It was a strange feeling because it didn't feel like a seminal episode because it didn't exactly answer anything but instead just play the first piece in a very short chess match. Six Episodes left.

A few weeks ago, I made some prediction of where I saw the show going and where we might see ourselves end up. I have found that I was half right (the package was Desmond), half wrong (Sun and Jin are STILL not together on the island).

I think it's best to use tonight's episode as a barometer of what's to come. Before I get too detailed on what may happen in the following weeks, I do find it absolutely fascinating that the first half of this season was really a "man of faith" - our first 9 episodes culminating with Richard's super myth episode "Ab Aeterno."

And then, starting with last week episode 10 "The Package" which literally delivered us the part of the show I though the creators forgot: science... oh no, the package was Desmond - not necessarily the man of science but someone who has brought back that Dharma vibe back.

So, moving on to next week's episode:

EVERYBODY LOVES HUGO with our buddy Hurley.

I saw a little tease from the promo last night of Michael. And we of course saw the grave of Libby. I definitely still believe she'll be back but my stance has changed... I used to believe that the sideways world was "epilogue" where our characters go when they "die" on the island.

I still think there are parts of that however, I think we're seeing what the Man in Black has given the characters, "what do you want most?"

1) Jack gets redemption from his father issues through his son.

2) Kate's story is still unresolved - last we saw her she was being arrested by Sawyer.

3) Locke comes to terms with his handicap and finds true love.

4) Sayid may not be with Nadia, but she is happy - "I don't deserve you."

5) Claire has her baby - in a hospital and gets to keep him.

6) Sawyer's story is unresolved, he still hasn't found "Sawyer."

7) Ben got to save Alex.

However, I think this comes with a "Monkey's Paw" kind of life. This wasn't their real life and as Daniel "I Bring Answers" ~~Faraday~~ ahem Widmore stated, "what if something catastrophic was going to happen and the only way to avoid it was to set off a massive amount of energy..." like Jughead.

And this my friend seems to be the show.

I'd like to use Jack as the general guy - but in essence, Jack has been "lost." He has father issues for days. He lands on an island and is faced with those even more - a cat and mouse between characters who are trying to prove the other wrong.

I believe there will be a moment when our candidates will be looking in on their Monkey Paw lives and slowly but surely, they are going to see they're making a deal with the devil. Could they be looking in through a mirror perhaps?

Oh man, I'm forgetting where I'm going... I'm confused now because does this mean that there should be another Jughead-esque incident at the end... say - a VOLCANO!?

I love this show because for as much I think I know what's going on - I have no idea.

The candidates, the last recruit, all this doesn't seem to matter anymore... I really believe that when we get that final answer, the whole show will fall into place. The writer's of Lost have been talking about the ending of this show for 5 years now... there's no way that they don't have an end game. And that is just so exciting - and so far, I think they're going to pull it off.

No You Can't (Featuring John Boehner)

2010-03-29T14:17:00.001-07:00

Harry the (Ghost) Spider

2010-03-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

So, for a few weeks back in February, I had a pet spider. If anyone knows me they know that I am deathly afraid of them. Something about having four times to many legs just creeps me out. Maybe I had a traumatic experience when I was kid like Jeff Daniels from Arachnophobia.

Regardless, Harry showed up in our bathtub and decided to live there.

I tried to take a bath in their once before. I was pretty excited. It was one of those days where your bones ache and all you want to do is surround yourself in steaming hot water and soak, reading a good book and forgetting that there are other living breathing beings on the Earth. I turned on the water, extra hot (not to hot), and started to let it fill.

The stopper is probably the worst ever. Not one that doesn't work because then you'd just know it doesn't work and get a new one but one that slowly leaks, so that as you get in, you get a taste of the bathtub water but only for a few moments.

I turned the stopper over and it worked a bit better.

I was so impatient, as I usually am, and I jumped in as the water was about two inches high. It was going to be fantastic. And then, once it hit about four inches - the hot water ran out.

I turned off all the cold and just let the hot water spew from the clunky faucet but it only lasted another few minutes and I was left with a half filled, mildly warm tub of water. So, I sat there, trying to make the best of it hoping to open my book and read but then the sucking sound came.

Water sucking down the drain, leaving me cold and wet - but not relaxed.

I gave up.

Another reason I never use the bathtub is because it acts as the drain for my washer and dryer. About ten minutes into a wash, dark and dirty water seeps up through the drain making the bathtub this constantly dirty place. Not in a grimy, dirty and disgusting way but more in the, "this doesn't look like a place I want to place my naked body and relax" way.

So, when Harry showed up, it was all his.

He stayed for a few weeks. I never saw him move, but everyday he'd be in a new place in the tub. Occasionally, when my roommate or I washed our clothes, Harry would freak out a bit, but then settle in near the edge of the tub away from the water.

He made a small, invisible web on either side of the tub. Occasionally, I'd see him sitting on it looking as if he were floating in mid-air.

Harry was the size of a nickel. My roommate named him Harry out the blue and it just fit.

And then one day - he died.

I walked in to check on him and he had gone belly up, legs crinkled in. I didn't touch him but knew it was over. I never saw him ate and I don't know exactly how he died but assume that my tub probably wasn't the best place to set up a web and start a family.

I felt sorry for him. I didn't know if I should of done something more for him but thought that nature should just let him do his thing.

I also wanted to have a little funeral for him... I thought about burying him in the plants outside but instead thought it more fitting to just... wash him down the drain. Either that or I didn't want to touch him.

So, with a few washes of water, he disappeared into the dark tunnels of underground pipes.

A few days later, to my surprise, he had returned.

Living upright and hanging at the side of my tub. It was strange. Was this a new spider? A friend? A wife or husband? A son or daughter? It was also a bit terrifying. I mean, I was cool with one spider hanging out with us but I wasn't about to open up a whole hotel for them.

I showed my roommate to make sure I wasn't crazy.

And then, the next day, he was gone and I haven't seen him since. Is he still alive? Was he really there the second time? Or had I imagined it? I know my roommate saw him as well. Maybe he was just a ghost spider.

I guess I'll never know.

But, in one since, I'm a little less afraid of spiders... maybe.

Lost's Final Episodes

2010-03-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

Those who don't want spoilers up to episode 9's "Ab Aeterno" please do not read further.

I'd like to comment on how excited I am for the final episodes and what my thoughts are going into the last half of this final season.

EPISODE 10 / March 30th

THE PACKAGE / Jin & Sun Centric

First of all, this is probably my second to least excited I am about an episode. After last nights, ridiculous myth revealing history giving episode, I just feel that a Jin and Sun episode is going to be chock full of the same kind of "set up" as two weeks ago with "Recon" and the Sawyer episode.

Of course, Jin and Sun haven't seen each other since Jin supposedly blew up at the end of Season 4, almost a season and a half ago and I'm certain that this episode will drag and drag and drag that reunion until the final moments, just before a great big reveal at the end...

That reveal?

DESMOND is in the sub.

EPISODE 11 / April 6th

HAPPILY EVER AFTER / Desmond Centric

Desmond is special, as everyone knows - as we've been told by many people on and off the island. How was Desmond both on and off the plane? I think this episode is going to reveal Charles Widmore's plans... that he wants to be the new Captain of the Cork Guard (copyright 2010).

Of course, Widmore isn't a candidate so it's a fools mission. However, I believe that Widmore is going to use Desmond's special-ness, as a sort of "loophole" around the whole candidate issue.

It will fail.

EPISODE 12 / April 13th

EVERYBODY LOVES HUGO / Hurley Centric

I have a feeling that this episode is either going to be super amazing and reveal some pretty amazing things... or just fall completely flat. I'm inclined to believe the latter. Libby will return in this episode and that will occur as Hurley's wife in the Sideways world.

Will we get more answers from her and her past? Nope. Will it piss alot of people off - especially when they most likely reference her past (the boat, the mental hospital) but in that same winking manner that they did when Sawyer said: "La Fluer" as his 'code' word... "he's a cop!"

I just have a feeling, this again will be yet another set up episode after coming off this crazy episode of Desmonds...

EPISODE 13 / April 20th

THE LAST RECRUIT / TBA Centric (Illana?)

I believe, and would bet money, that this will be an ILLANA episode. And in this episode will we see her whole back story, why is she totally banged up at that hospital, why does Jacob wear gloves when he's around her (what doesn't he want to do to her)... like a bobcat... and all that fancy stuff.

EPISODE 14 / April 27th

TBA / TBA Centric

This is the most mysterious episode, being that there is no title yet and no official word about what it will be... that being said - I believe it will be 1 of 2 things...

1) ROSE & BERNARD become ADAM & EVE

2) CHARLES WIDMORE

Which will lead us directly into the following:

EPISODE 15 / May 4th

ACROSS THE SEA / JACOB & THE MAN IN BLACK Centric

This episode hands down (besides the finale of course) is my most anticipated one. Here we're going to really see what the hell this whole show is about. We're going to see a whole slew of theories thrown out the window.

We then will get a final 2 episodes (3 hours) of wrap up. I can not wait.

EPISODE 16 / May 11th

WHAT THEY DIED FOR / TBA Centric

This too could be a Rose & Bernard episode, however, I think what we're going to see here is that JACK is dead.

JACK IS DEAD. Is my new theory. He's a walking ghost, just like Isabella and instead of just Hurley seeing him - everyone can... this will finally explain why that shitty tattoo episode actually was important. "He walks amongst us, but he is not one of us."

And what did they die for... to become candidates.

EPISODE 17 & 18 / May 23rd

THE END / TBA Centric

What can I say about this but sadness. Super sadness. The only thing I got left now is MAD MEN and possibly TRUE BLOOD... hopefully in the Fall BROADWAY EMPIRE will feel the void. But I really truly don't believe another great "mystery" show won't surface for a long long while.

Sadness.

This Video Game Season Is Going to Be... Fun

2010-03-18T10:15:00.001-07:00

Gratitude Is Beautiful.

2010-03-16T14:56:00.001-07:00

Kids / Pokerface a la Weezer

2010-03-12T17:20:00.001-08:00

The Ultimate Sing Through Your Creepy Smile Video

2010-03-12T09:12:00.001-08:00

LOST THEORIES - The Posters

2010-03-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

I've had this theory about #Lost for sometime now. And it's in - the Season 6 Promo Posters. Take this first one, which sits proudly 2x3 over my own dining room table:

On the LEFT side of this poster we have: ILANA, RICHARD, CLAIRE, SAYID, KATE & SAWYER. Then of course - our LOCKENESS MONSTER.

On the RIGHT side of this poster we have: JACK, JIN, BEN, HURLEY, SUN, MILES & FRANK.

Two sides. One dark (left) one light (right). I mean - it's in the words DARK... four letters, LIGHT might as well be called the RIGHT.

This "Dark" side is pretty much already in place. Sayid, total monster. Claire, bat shit crazy (monster), Kate just got dragged into it. Sawyer is recruited, love lost monster - that leaves us with RICHARD & ILANA.

Well, from this episode - Richard and Ilana have a love/hate relationship with Jacob... and I think the whole Candidate thing is really getting to them... it's all showing up - Jacob is gone and now they can all die... Dogen I think wanted to die. I mean, what have these three guys gotten out of their loyalty? Because apparently they're not Candidates... and I love how Lockeness even gave Ben the opportunity to be a "candidate" - and it didn't work (because Ben's a good guy, he's on the Right).

I'm not convinced that Richard is going to be all that happy with Jack's new found faith and power. I think he'll continue to work for the MIB, even if in a not as direct way as Sayid & Sawyer. I also believe that Ilana will be our LAST RECRUIT.

But... what happens if they are with the MIB?

I believe they get a "non-redemption." See SAYID sideways story. And the left? They get "redemption." See JACK and son. CLAIRE? KATE? I think we still don't know but my guess is that if they continue on their MIB path - they won't find it.

Kate, I think will follow Sawyer, she's a bruised and hurt woman, she's going to fail (sadly). Claire though, I think she's gotten in with the crowd - and who is going to save her? MILES.

See Poster 2:

Do you see that? Miles has "replaced" Claire. This will be a big moment, a moment where Claire comes too and finds herself and "my baby" (Aussie voice) safe and sound. Miles will die saving Claire.

I am also SUPER intrigued that the island DID exist in Sideways world... and it had to exist as late as the late 70s, early 80s... that was a BIG reveal... it changes a lot of my previous thinking...

It's also interesting to note that Jacob's candidate search has been a LOOOOOONG time coming. All those scratches, all those people - those were all people who were Candidates... but never an early Jacob. It's fascinating because it seems that Jacob is the original - and this - this is the FIRST time he's choosing a new guy (I say guy, because I believe the candidate is only male - aka no Austin and no Sun).

And the guy to actually win the prize: Jack. The first guy on the show. The NEW Jacob. I could see the last episode not blowing up in a Volcano - but Jack eating fish on the beach by himself and along comes a Man in Black... a Locke who sits down next to him as they look out a see a sailboat... Yep.

For Eric E: ChatRoulette

2010-03-04T16:16:00.001-08:00

The Lighthouse Lights the Way

2010-02-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

Tonight on Lost episode 5 entitled "The Lighthouse" which continues on its Season 1 reboot by focusing on Jack, episode 5 in Season 1 was called "White Rabbit." This episode is probably going to be pretty AMAZING being that it is written by Damon & Carlton and directed by Jack Bender... these episodes are usually pretty myth unloading heavy.

I really have NO idea what to expect this week. I don't understand the lighthouse reference nor what this mysterious Hurley mission will be. I do know that Claire-seau is back and hangs with Jin, making the reunion of Sun & Jin still weeks away.

It looks like we won't get that reunion until Episode 10 "The Package" on March 30th. I'm not looking forward to this more than I am looking forward to getting past the obvious drawn out episode it's going to take to reunite them... they haven't seen each other since the season finale of Season 4.

Anyway, can't wait.

Until then, I'm going to be playing some Heavy Rain!

PS - "They're coming" from last season means = "The Candidates." My thoughts about the "Jacob" replacement - it's only a male who can take over. So, it's going to be the following:

4 = John Locke, but he's dead.
8 = Hurley, he seems the most likely (being that he's already doing his bidding)
15 = Sawyer
16 = Sayid
23 = Jack
42 = Jin

Sorry Kate & Sun, you got the boobies.

Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)

2010-02-20T00:47:00.000-08:00

This is fantastic.

Jedward Music Video

Aziz Ansari - Harris

2010-02-17T00:13:00.001-08:00

My #Lost Thoughts

2010-02-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

SLIGHTLY SPOILERISH, I've read and watched all the sneak peeks/teasers.

Tonight's episode is called... "THE SUBSTITUTE" and it's John Locke centric... does that mean Locke was a substitute for The Man in Black's presence? Since the Man in Black consumes other people's bodies is he taking over John Locke's body?

I also believe that the Locke-ness Monster is going to start building an army against Jack/Jacob. On that army? Sayid, Claire, Sawyer... and maybe (but not likely) Kate, I still believe Kate will be with Jack in the end. I believe that the Locke-ness Monster is going to show Sawyer that he was "FORCED" onto this island by Jacob. That all this pain and all that anguish he feels is the result of Jacob's doing - and so pins him against him... and so when Temple folk & Jack all say, "you're supposed to be here, you're on a list." He's going to give them a big one two F and a U.

Going to be exciting - can't wait!

Don't (Gay) Kiss In Front of Notre Dame

2010-02-15T01:26:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Day, a group of Gay & Gay Supporters had meant to have a supposedly peaceful "Kiss In" - which soon turned violent and they were attacked with motorbike helmets and kicked.

For kissing?

I really hate when people use religion to defend what is obviously pure ignorance and hated. I'm not a religious man myself, but I just can't imagine that the true nature of Christianity (or other religions) is to teach hatred and violence.

100 Years of SFX... in 5 Minutes

2010-02-13T11:39:00.001-08:00

Holy Banana Cakes! Yet ANOTHER Amazing Nike Commercial

2010-02-12T22:17:00.001-08:00

Lost Explained By Viewers Who Have Never Seen It

2010-02-12T10:50:00.001-08:00

Flaming Bacon Lance of Death

2010-02-11T12:19:00.001-08:00

Challenge Accepted, Boing Boing (BBtv)

2010-02-11T12:18:00.001-08:00

When Lynch Met Lucas

2010-02-10T10:14:00.001-08:00

Nothing Is Irreversible / Dead Is Dead

2010-02-10T02:13:00.000-08:00

DO NOT READ WITHOUT FIRST SEEING "WHAT KATE DOES"

So, my theories are forming on Lost and as the season starts (already 1/6th through) I am beginning to see where things are going - and where I think Lost will end up.

I want to start with essentially the basic theme of Lost. Something that's happened since the Pilot. And that is - there is a duality. A black & a white. Faith vs. Science meets Fate vs. Free Will. I read a lot of the super smart Lost bloggers out there (Jeff "Doc" Jensen) & (DocArzt's) and most of my theories come from a collection of their ideas and also from writing up a 20 page timeline of the events of Lost... IN ORDER for Season 1 - 5, how I can write Season 6 into that timeline... well, don't think it will/should happen.

So, with this Black/White meets Faith/Science meets Fate/Free Will themes, we have to boil it down even more... what does that even mean? Do we believe things happen for a reason, that everything is pre-ordained? Do we just have Faith, that everything will turn out alright? Or do we go by Science, things are just organisms trying to survive and we have free will.

The categories begin as such: to have Faith is to believe that you are somehow going to be taken care of, that things will just... work out. You believe in Fate, to some extent. I can't imagine if you didn't believe that God created the universe & was all knowing, that you can have much Faith in things... instead, I'd imagine you have to believe that you got to make your own path.

So:

Faith / Fate = John Locke & Science / Free Will = Jack Shepherd

Faith / Fate = Jacob & Science / Free Will = Man In Black

However, since we now know (can make a pretty educated guess) the Man In Black can.... "claim" people, it seems that the LOOPHOLE is that the Man In Black had to "claim" one of Jacob's chosen ones... the touched. And it's fitting & ironic that the one that he "claims" is Locke, the one with Fate & Faith on his side, the one who most likely fit Jacob's philosophy (see "The Incident" and the opening scene).

Jacob, being a man of Fate, opens "The Incident" with a weaving loom (ahem creator)... he's waiting for The Black Rock and, being a seemingly "creator," isn't surprised when Man in Black shows up. He starts (after offering some fish) with this, "I take it you're here because of the ship." As in, you don't come around my statue very often... these guys don't talk much.

But here has Jacob gone: bringing people to the island and, as the Man in Black states, only to have them "... come, fight... destroy... corrupt," And, "it always ends the same." This obviously annoys the Man in Black because, so far, in all the incarnations of this "test" - he's been right.

But Jacob is kind of a dick and doesn't take just one "test" as a fool proof answer.

And so he keeps bringing new people to the island. The Black Rock, Ajira 316... but something went array - Flight 815: The Flight that killed Jacob. I believe this Flight was never supposed to happen. And Desmond (the special one) made it happen. He corrupted Jacob's original plan which was to bring Bram & Ilana, and possibly others to the island. (Frank Lapidis, "the canidate"?)

In fact, Desmond was... "a variable."

I believe that the Man in Black took advantage of this and manipulated the 815'ers until he was able to find his Loophole, eventually settling in on John Locke. When did he settle on John Locke? In episode 104 "Walkabout" when Locke first laid eyes on him.

Just as Miles can read the recent dead, Hurley can see dead people, Walter is semi-psychic... the Man in Black can see into people's pasts, can read their minds and when he read all that "faith & fate" spewing from Locke's brain, I think the Man in Black had a great smile on his face. (Isn't it ironic?)

I believe this is why Ben Linus was told to follow Locke in "Dead is Dead." All of this a grand manipulation to prove Jacob wrong. And what is he wrong about?

"That humans are just organisms trying to survive, nothing more & nothing less. There is no fate, there is no pre-determined destiny." The Man in Black IS philosophically season one's Jack Shepherd...

BUT! LOOK OUT! Because, Jacob... being the time traveling genie that he is, saw this manipulation and so went back - touched a few souls... and manipulated them into getting on that already destined to crash onto the island flight 316... And you know what else is happening... roles are REVERSING.

John Locke is now the PHYSICAL manifestation of "Free Will & Science" he IS the Man in Black... and the man he's butted heads with for all season's past... Jack, the man we grew to know as the "Man of Science," well, isn't he looking a lot more like Jacob? Sad eyed, knowing, a bit more giving to... fate.

Didn't he say in last year's finale, "this is our destiny!" WHOA!

So, how does it all end?

Well, the first three episodes (LA X part 1, LA X part 2 & What Kate Does) have given us a good direction - we are seeing both. We see the Faith/Fate Answers (Off Island Timeline) and the Science/Free Will Answers (Island Timeline)... it didn't work... it was all for nothing, there was NO destiny as Sawyer has clearly stated... it did work... it all happend for a reason!

And the answer?

Well, I think Jacob's right, "it only ends once and anything that happens before that is just progress." It all happened for a reason, it was all a path to a SINGLE end.

That end? Redemption. Our characters, as everyone knows, are Lost. Misguided & bumped off their way and each of them, I believe will finally find that Redemption OFF the island. The OFF island timeline will give each of our characters a chance to find peace and happiness.

And for the ON island characters? Well, they shouldn't be there. This wasn't their FATE, their pre-determined path and so, one by one - they'll die (Juliet, Charlie, Boone, Shannon, etc) or they'll be corrupted (Locke, Claire has been "claimed," now Sayid)...

The ON island life is going to be rough and awful because it's not the way it was supposed to be. They can't find Redemption. Sawyer is a wreck, Kate is a wreck, Jack is a wreck, heck even Hurley is... if they don't die at some point in the season, they'll end up dying when the island blows it's volcanic lid in the Series Finale.

"What Kate Does" was a perfect prelude to the season to come.

In Season One: Episode One threw us into the world... here's what you're going to get. Episode Two (Kate's episode) gives us the structure. Here you get ON island PRESENT Kate and OFF island PAST Kate... we discover what brought Kate to the island (and in subsequent back stories) why she NEEDS redemption, she killed her Father or more importantly she Lost her Mother. And coupled with this, her ON island PRESENT self is affected, in need of redemption.

In Season Six: Episode One threw us into the world... here's what you're going to get. Episode Two (Kate's episode) gives us the structure. Here you get ON island PRESENT Kate and OFF island PRESENT Kate... we discover what Kate does to spiral down further away from Redemption (What Does Kate Do? Run after the wrong guy, Sawyer)... And coupled with this, her OFF island PRESENT self spirals... towards Redemption (the way she looks at Jack Shepherd in this episode... it's going to end well for them).

Are we going to figure out what the Polar Bears mean? NO. Are we going to figure out where the food drops came from? NO. Are we going to figure out where Walt's powers came from? NO. It's funny that Hurley's "I can see ghosts" isn't that big a deal... but Walt "I Can Summon Birds" Power... must be answered...

These questions are fun to ponder and through all the Lost lore, we may be able to manifest some kind of answers for ourselves.

The Producers have stated very clearly that they don't want a "metachlorian" explanation to things that don't really matter... is our lives going to be that much better if we know WHY Libby was in the nut house with Hurley? Or can we just safely say, "you see and interact with hundreds upon thousands of people in your life, millions perhaps... is it not possible that you may run into them again... even if you didn't know it?"

****

Dead is dead. Fate is sealed. What Kate Does? Runs. She's always done it: in her past, her present, her future... her sideways self... this is what she does... this is who she is... and who she's destined to be until she is redeemed.

When Juliet set the bomb off in 1977, time shifted... and we're seeing the butterfly effect from 1977 to 2004... when Jack looks out from the airplane window at an unseen & sunken island. Things are the same, What Kate Does... is still what she does, but things are different and just as Faraday predicted and what Jack Shepherd wanted for his friends... "I want this to never have happened." It worked and through it comes redemption.

John Locke will walk because of Jack Shepherd, not through the magic of some mysterious island - and that my friends, is a beautiful thing.

Here's the ONLY questions I believe are going to be / and need to be answered:

1) A detailed explanation of the roles the Men in Black & Jacob had on the island and the nature of their relationship? What is the game they're playing?

2) What is Richard's role? Most likely a disciple like John Locke or Jack Shepherd, just a bit more advanced, having been on the island longer... and I believe once Jacob touches you... you're not going to age / die on the island.

3) Significance of Ilana & her gang of "shadow of the statue"?

4) Kate chooses Jack over Sawyer?

5) How does each character find... REDEMPTION?

6) Desmond is the THIRD wheel to the Jacob/Man in Black relationship... I think he's somehow connected to them.

7) As you can see Ben Linus wasn't part of the "big picture" - and it's starting to show, his character is reduced to looking wide eyed and bewildered... so, I think they're going to have to kill him off soon.

8) Adam & Eve. A Theory I Believe: Adam & Eve are Rose & Bernard... even though I think there's going to be a little time fuck up there in that they should of died in the 1950s or 60s... not in the 1970s.... maybe the time bomb going off in 1977 shifted them back to the 1950s... And also, this may be another answer we don't get. And that's alright.

Is It Bad That I Got Emotional?

2010-02-09T17:29:00.001-08:00

The Future of Maury

2010-02-09T17:27:00.001-08:00

A Must Watch for Tonight's LOST

2010-02-09T17:00:00.001-08:00

Oceanic 815 - Side by Side (SPOILER! If you haven't seen the Season 6 Premiere)

2010-02-08T13:41:00.001-08:00

Repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell: A Slippery Slope to Invest In

2010-02-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

It's been raining a lot here.

In fact, fear of mud slides have threatened coastal regions and other places here in Southern California. These literal slippery slopes is what usually brings the metaphor into territories of the unwanted and avoidable.

But, when it comes to Gay Rights, 9 times out of 10, the biggest argument that comes against it is - slippery slopes.

Hearing this, I sort of laughed... NAMBLA!? Who said anything about those weirdos? I really just don't understand why Homosexuality is always compared to these fringe sexualities like Man/Boy Love or ... Beastiality. It's down right infuriating. There's always this talk of the "gays" as this group of lesser humans, that somehow we're unequal.

How can you open your mouth and purposely say such hateful things? It just doesn't make sense to me. There's no good argument against homosexuality - and if you're going to make arguments up, the best you got is "if you allow gays to do it, next you'll be allowing people to have sex with ducks."

No. No. No.

The big issue with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is that you are acknowledging that Homosexuality exists. And if you acknowledge its existence, then you have to start giving rights to those individuals, rights like... housing and the big one: Marriage. You see, soldiers come from all walks of life - and from all places of the US. So, you'll mix Mass. Gays with Cali. Gays. Those who are allowed to marry and those who aren't. Side by side, close quarters.

Those who have the right to marry each other - and those who do not.

The military to me is like it's own state. It has its own medical plan (Universal & Free), it's own housing, it's own regulations and laws. The inclusion and acknowledgement of gays in the military creates a slippery slope for the changing of laws and discrimination.

I welcome this change - and I hope that it, like a real slippery slope, starts off as the single incident: repealing 'don't ask, don't tell' - and suddenly excellerates into a full own Equality Act. Allowing two consenting individuals to live their life as they choose, to express their love openly and allow the cloud and stigma that being gay is different (morally wrong, weird, creepy, icky) to vanquish.

When a nine year old can freely feel he can express his crush on a boy in his classroom, without fear of repercussions and ridicule from his classmates, a ridicule that a boy crushing on a girl never fears - the world will grow to become a much better place. When being gay isn't something you have to "come out for" - but just something that is, like the fact that you're a particular race or nationality: promiscuousness, the spread of HIV (in America), and pent up angers will fade to a normal and healthy pace.

We'll never rid ourselves of racism completely. We'll never rid ourselves of cheating or treating each other like shit, but right now, the silent oppression and fear Gay teens and soldiers and men and women face everyday makes things that shouldn't be... be.

And I believe Obama's administration has done the right thing here and found the loop hole to opening the flood gates, to beginning the slippery slope to equality for all.

It doesn't start at the top, it's from the bottom up.

The Origin of Zombies

2010-02-06T21:15:00.001-08:00

The S From Hell

2010-02-05T19:05:00.001-08:00

Don't You Put It in Your Mouth

2010-02-05T19:01:00.001-08:00

Martini Ranch "Reach" directed by James Cameron, Starring Kathyrn Bigelow

2010-02-05T08:36:00.001-08:00

Zachary Quinto - Tyler Shields

2010-02-05T00:09:00.001-08:00

Spaceman - Tyler Shields

2010-02-05T00:08:00.001-08:00

Matt Dallas - Tyler Shields

2010-02-05T00:03:00.001-08:00

Hayden Panettiere - Tyler Shields

2010-02-05T00:02:00.003-08:00

The Stormtrooper - Tyler Shields

2010-02-05T00:02:00.001-08:00

I Heart Sirocco

2010-02-03T23:35:00.001-08:00