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Wednesday, March 05, 2003
Someone needed to bring up that chess video
Looks like Screech growed up (or at least acted like many regular teens should've acted like), much to the chagrin of Indiana "Saved by the Bell" fans. It might've been the wrong audience to go blue, although that type of stark contrast actually served Bob Saget well on the comedy-club circuit. Of course, it could've been much worse -- he could've read The Great Gatsby in full like Andy Kaufman did years ago on his college tours.
posted at 6:52 PM
When faux-rappers attack
Well, I guess Fred Durst actually used a real word in his Grammy speech. Sometimes you just get lucky, and after that Britney Spears thing, I guess he's on a roll. Then again, I heard a clip of his new album. There's only so much luck to go around.
On a similar path, I can't believe that these words were probably said this week: "I'll take Vanilla Ice to block."
posted at 3:04 PM
Forget all those reality dating and marriage shows, I think someone's got to put together more "relationship" shows done in the manner of this Onion column. I had to cringe while reading it as I thought to myself, "Am I like that guy?" Damn, I hope not.
posted at 1:18 AM
Tuesday, March 04, 2003
Kids these days ...
There's been criticism in some circles that the U.S. has not embraced some of the higher-end cell phone technology out there, like wireless Web, text messaging, etc., especially compared to our neighbors in Europe and Asia. Maybe that's not necessarily a bad thing, though. We have enough problems dealing with people talking on cell phones on the road (although wasn't that the primary use of such devices even 10-12 years ago?), imagine what would happen if we were like this British student who texted a paper for school or the Filipinos texting confessions?
posted at 1:32 AM
More MP3s for your downloading pleasure
If you like those Bud Light radio ads about Real American Heroes (like Mr. Putt Putt Golf Course Designer), here's where you can grab them.
posted at 1:21 AM
Unholy matrimony, international edition
Someone got here looking for this story earlier, so might as well give them what they want. I suppose it's not a surprise that Sergei Fedorov was actually married to Anna Kournikova. The whole thing sorted backstory just seems a bit silly, but something that's perfect for a soap opera. The Reuters story that's linked up here is a trip to read, especially compared to the staid AP story that came through later in the day. The best line talks about Sergei, Anna and Pavel Bure in a "torrid Russian love triangle" (hey, could that be the perfect comeback song for New Order?).
Unholy matrimony, Rupert edition
And speaking of weddings, I wasted a couple of hours (give or take the fast forward time on the VCR) to catch Married by America only to see the one guy I know only get a few minutes of screen time introducing himself. I guess if I didn't know him, he'd be a likeable guy, but whatever.
The rest of the show was another half-witted beauty pageant/American Idol/Are You Hot? plus some Meet My Folks interrogation thrown in for good measure. Nothing really remarkable other than the odd panel of family/friends picking out the finalists us ham 'n' eggers (thanks Bobby Heenan for that) get to choose. There was a great Longisland dad doing the great brusk New Yorker on the guys, and the queen of a roommate of the blonde bartender who was just over the top.
How much more I'll watch after the first couple of episodes, I don't know, although I felt like jamming sharp objects into my eyes from time to time, or as Bill Simmons likes to say "lighting myself on fire." On the other hand, it was interesting reading this sequestering and rehearsal note from The Smoking Gun. Thankfully, this note went out last month. I didn't think there's enough on this show to warrant eight weeks of TV time.
posted at 1:19 AM
There is definitely a large portion of the population that thinks this picture of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed looks like this guy (fun with Google to be sure, which is why I'm keeping his name out of this), but a couple of friends mentioned tonight that he also looks like Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
posted at 1:00 AM
Monday, March 03, 2003
Reality check, take 450
I've already gone into full length to some of my tenuous links to reality shows in the past. Now, I can honestly say I know one of these contestants. Unfortunately, it's this guy who wants to get "Married by America." This guy used to work with us in a slightly different department, but few of us can really think of any positive (or negative) things to say about him while he was here. And he disappeared almost as quickly as he got here, only to see him show up last fall hosting the awful Movie Bowl on TBS after college football (otherwise known as faux-frat boys yucking it up while showing "Lethal Weapon 4" for the 985th time). Not sure if I'll watch it (or tape it since I'm usually out Monday nights). Then again, it could be another train wreck in the making.
And while we're at it, why does it seem like Atlanta is such a hotbed for reality show contestants? There's at least one or two more people involved with "Married by America" from this area, and there's always a constant stream of American Idol folks from the area. (I wasn't too sure if I wanted to feel sorry for my friend Rodney who was on the Idol beat for the AJC last summer.) T-Bird and Judge Pappy both leveraged their lengthy Survivor runs into TV spots down here. One of the Georgia Force cheerleaders was an early cut on Joe Millionaire. I guess the city has an excess of people that fit the photogenic (and often shallow) qualities perfect for these shows.
Although to be fair, the early days of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire featured a more than representative number of Georgia-based contestants, but that could be traced partially to the fact that callers could dial an 800 number (instead of the original 900 number) to compete in the phone game -- the vastly overlooked part of the show that drew viewers to the game during its heyday.
posted at 12:27 AM
Sunday, March 02, 2003
Is it March or October?
I think the news of the change in terror alert color hasn't hit Florida just yet, based on the Mets' and Orioles' choice of uniforms on Sunday. Maybe it's spring training in the Florida penal league, or a tribute to traffic cones.
posted at 2:41 PM
Sports in the "real" world
-- So, the NCAA tournament actually costs businesses $1.4 billion in lost productivity. I wonder if CBS can use that number in its next set of negotiations for tournament rights. But all is not lost, since the talk is supposedly good for morale. That is until a school like Middle Tennessee State blows up your bracket on the first day with an upset of your Final Four team.
I'm curious as to why someone would want to quantify this talk, other than for a silly headline. How much is talk about the Oscars, the war on Iraq or anything not work-related worth to employers in lost productivity? And if you don't do anything but work all day, wouldn't the costs of stress-related illnesses outnumber idle hoops chatter?
-- Salon's King Kaufman has a different look at the anti-war protests (or lack thereof) by professional athletes. It is telling that an anti-war protest from a Division III women's basketball player has made so much noise. I still think a lot of athletes, stars or otherwise, are actually trying to tread lightly on the issue, given the often conservative nature of sports fans.
However, I can definitely see where the self-absorption of athletes actually leads to their reticence. Even here working in sports, the gravity of the situation doesn't always resonate with us. As long as games are getting canceled or additional stress put on our systems, it's business as usual. Although I don't think I'm as self-interested as Simeon Rice, who might've been so caught up in the smack talk that comes from being on Jim Rome's show that he felt that it wasn't national duty that motivated Pat Tillman (a vastly underrated player before all of this) to leave the NFL to join the army.
On the other hand, we are sending out a bunch of mixed messages when it comes to our athletes. We want them to be trailblazers and help advance causes to a mass audience of sports fans who might not get the message from politicans or activists. However, say the wrong thing and you can be ostracized (although it hasn't hurt Charles Barkley). Yet in the case of Toni Smith, a handful of coaches said they would kick her off their teams if she did that for them (which would definitely be within their rights, much like Smith's protest) because it would upset chemistry.
This could be why most of the real progressive thinking or "accepted" outspokenness comes from athletes in individual sports -- think Arthur Ashe, Muhammad Ali, Martina Navratilova -- and not team sports. There's a lot more of a dynamic involved if you speak your mind above and beyond your team -- more people to deal with like teammates, coaches, administration, etc. The quiet backlash from inside can be a lot more damaging that public outcry.
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