Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball
Published writer, compulsive reader, Old School Whovian, Match Game enthusiast, NKOTB fan, data hoarder, and - surprisingly, given that list - married with four kids. Welcome to my take on life, fatherhood, entertainment, and whatever strikes my fancy. Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Wipeout was pre-empted!
Very bitter that this bloated DWTS special has pre-empted Wipeout. I didn't work all day to be scorned in primetime ABC. I am not amused.
A wee bit of this, and a lot of that (with 'That' being quick movie reviews)
Let's lead with the big news of the day: The Sad Sack Slapjacks notched their first fantasy football win of the year (117.07 to 105.42) thanks in no small measure to stellar performances from K Rob Bironas and TE Gronkowski (not to mention a midweek addition of Mark Sanchez). Whew. 0-2 would have been devastating. I needed this win.
Today was also Smiley's 1st Tiger Scout Den meeting, and it went fine, although I wish it had been more structured.
As an assistant leader I'm going to have to make sure I have some fallback activities ready to go in the future.
Some reviews: I rented the medieval action film "Ironclad" in part on the strength of its cast. Paul James Purefoy, Paul Giamatti, Jason Flemyng, Derek Jacobi, Kate Mara, Brian Cox, etc. Sadly, that was the only real bright spot in this Magnificent Seven/Dirty Dozen vs King John pic. I thought it was needlessly gory, ret-conned religious and social views, and worst of all was pretty darn dull.
At least it introduced me to Archbishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton, who seemed like a heck of a fellow.
Continuing a recent downturn in my luck with films, Lisa and I watched Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, a documentary on CoCo's 2010 tour in the wake of the Tonight Show fiasco.
We love Conan, but Lisa hit it on the head: at one point she stopped watching, saying his bitterness and treatment of his staff was taking the shine off our affection for him. By the end of the film, however, as some of the bitterness and anger leeched out, Coco seemed back to his 'normal' self, and the tone of the movie picked up.
There were a few laughs, but not nearly enough.
On the other hand, Arthur was a pleasant surprise.
No, more than that; it was a delight. It was sweet, funny, and well acted. Russell Brand continues to impress me as a genuine talent, not just an idiotic drunkard with a big mouth. We loved this movie. Go rent it right now. Go on - git.
You stuck around? Well, more the fool you, since the final review of the night is another Debbie Downer. The People I've Slept With is a comedy about a very (very) promiscuous woman who gets pregnant and seeks to determine the paternity. Lisa felt it was very pro-life, and I guess it is, but it was hard to snoop that out from among a dizzying array of flaws.
I don't think the writer did the actors any favors, but they sure repaid it in kind. This was some of the worst non-porn acting you'll find outside of a campfire skit at a special needs camp. My word, it was bad. (the only exception being 'Mr. Boring', and curse the director for limiting his screen time.)
Plus, I didn't dig the lame justification the narrator provided right at the start, rationalizing her insane promiscuity away as being nothing more than a case of a "woman with the mores of a man". Uh, no, hun. Even Charlie Sheen would draw the line shy of where this character stands (she has a stack of photos several inches thick, each one belonging to a man or woman she's slept with in the last seven weeks).
If you're going to make the character unself-consciously sex crazed, then stick with your guns and play it straight (no pun intended). There's no need to excuse it, and it's a crime to do so with a voluminous cliche.
Today was also Smiley's 1st Tiger Scout Den meeting, and it went fine, although I wish it had been more structured.
As an assistant leader I'm going to have to make sure I have some fallback activities ready to go in the future.
Some reviews: I rented the medieval action film "Ironclad" in part on the strength of its cast. Paul James Purefoy, Paul Giamatti, Jason Flemyng, Derek Jacobi, Kate Mara, Brian Cox, etc. Sadly, that was the only real bright spot in this Magnificent Seven/Dirty Dozen vs King John pic. I thought it was needlessly gory, ret-conned religious and social views, and worst of all was pretty darn dull.
At least it introduced me to Archbishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton, who seemed like a heck of a fellow.
Continuing a recent downturn in my luck with films, Lisa and I watched Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, a documentary on CoCo's 2010 tour in the wake of the Tonight Show fiasco.
We love Conan, but Lisa hit it on the head: at one point she stopped watching, saying his bitterness and treatment of his staff was taking the shine off our affection for him. By the end of the film, however, as some of the bitterness and anger leeched out, Coco seemed back to his 'normal' self, and the tone of the movie picked up.
There were a few laughs, but not nearly enough.
On the other hand, Arthur was a pleasant surprise.
No, more than that; it was a delight. It was sweet, funny, and well acted. Russell Brand continues to impress me as a genuine talent, not just an idiotic drunkard with a big mouth. We loved this movie. Go rent it right now. Go on - git.
You stuck around? Well, more the fool you, since the final review of the night is another Debbie Downer. The People I've Slept With is a comedy about a very (very) promiscuous woman who gets pregnant and seeks to determine the paternity. Lisa felt it was very pro-life, and I guess it is, but it was hard to snoop that out from among a dizzying array of flaws.
I don't think the writer did the actors any favors, but they sure repaid it in kind. This was some of the worst non-porn acting you'll find outside of a campfire skit at a special needs camp. My word, it was bad. (the only exception being 'Mr. Boring', and curse the director for limiting his screen time.)
Plus, I didn't dig the lame justification the narrator provided right at the start, rationalizing her insane promiscuity away as being nothing more than a case of a "woman with the mores of a man". Uh, no, hun. Even Charlie Sheen would draw the line shy of where this character stands (she has a stack of photos several inches thick, each one belonging to a man or woman she's slept with in the last seven weeks).
If you're going to make the character unself-consciously sex crazed, then stick with your guns and play it straight (no pun intended). There's no need to excuse it, and it's a crime to do so with a voluminous cliche.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Some TV
I just finished watching Ashton Kutcher's debut on Two and a Half Men. I enjoyed it and found myself smiling/LOL several times. Maybe the show has some fuel left in the tank after all.
Digging the brunette on '2 Broke Girls'. The show's not bad either.
#602!!
Congrats to Mariano Rivera on save #602, setting the all-time record and absolutely cementing his status as THE BEST EVER. Dang I love my Yanks!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
A Good Day
A long day, but overall a good one. The bday party went much better than I expected, YaYa's team won their first game, after a tight contest I surged ahead to score a fantasy W at the close of SNF tonight, and Lisa's got a list of job openings highlighted and ready for my attention. Oh, and we had bacon and eggs for dinner. Can't go wrong with that.
A Busy Day
Spent part of the morning watching "Robotech" with Smiley, now off to a first bday party for Isaiah, followed by football, a volleyball game for YaYa, more football, job hunting, and prob ten other things to consume this rainy day off.
Update: pics of said birthday party
SuckerPunch
After a lousy night of work I rented 'SuckerPunch'. It was visually exquisite. But it was also intellectually, emotionally, spiritually and artistically sterile. It was little more than a glorified video game trailer, and a fetishists rape fantasy played out under the guise of female 'empowerment'. EPIC FAIL. (wicked soundtrack tho')
Saturday, September 17, 2011
I Might Call In
seriously considering calling into wrk for only the 3rd x since 1998. Dental problems, tired, and generally blah. I wish my hrs hadn't changed 2day - I'd b nearing the end of my day, not the start.
I have a good immune system, and a childhood spent with a hypochondriac mother. Just as a matter of delayed teenage rebellion, I refuse to be sick.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Ugh. Work
I'm must be getting depressed. I've slept most of the day and am dreading the clopen ahead of me @ wrk . . .
TV Tidbits
I really enjoyed the two episodes of the Japanese cartoon 'To' available via Netflix streaming. It's a blend of crisp computer animation, adult story lines, and inventive sci-fi. Check it out.
A - You aren't following Alec Baldwin on Twitter? Why the heck not? B - There are few things worse than seeing your precious big screen TV subjected to "The View". Damn you Lisa. C - What's with all the moans & gasps & body noises in anime? Ridiculous. D - That host from Bravo has great chemistry w/ Kelly Ripa. He should be on the list to replace Regis.
Quote
"In the Beginning, there was nothing, which exploded."
--Terry Pratchett on the current scientific understanding of Creation
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Smiley's First Pack Meeting!
supper was homemade Applebee's fiesta lime chicken, smashed potatoes and brussel sprouts, all scorned by the kids, natch. Then it was on to Park's 1st Pack meeting, where we Tigers improvised a skit about a treasure hunting turtle who can't get a gold coin off the ocean floor cuz it's glued on, so he uses some 'magic markers' to create a shovel to do the job. Lotta fun.
The Hannah Montana Finale
just finished watching the series finale of Hannah Montana. It was quite good if u scrap the last 30 seconds of the episode.
Turn in your man card this minute - Jeremy I
What a great dad - Grandma J
OMG!!!!!!! you better run along now and change your tampon - Alex Q
Jeanne, your right, it takes a special dad to watch that with his daughters... wait Dan, they were watching it with you, right??? - Roger J
no actually I'm the only one awake. The kids had it on Netflix b4 bed and while I was sitting here reading I thought "I wonder if Oliver and Lilly stay together?" and hit play. You know y'all were curious too - Me
He never had a man card to begin with! ;) -Tre
Why would you do that? - Eric B
Thor
Here's something I never thought I'd say in a review of 'Thor': it was dull. Yawn-y, "hit fast forward on the remote" dull. Plus Natalie Portman looked oddly . . . drained, like life has just plain used her up. I was really looking forward to this flick too, and even hustled it up my Netflix queue. What a shame. C-.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037
Brrr, what a cold evening. Welcome to fall. We just finished watching "Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037", a documentary about the year long construction of a Steinway piano. It's a good doc, but had lots of room for improvement. I've yet to see a documentary w/out narration that doesn't sacrifice something of both its storytelling and educational value. C+/B-
The Last time this happened . . .
the last time a friend of ours took her baby daddy 2 court, he put a dead bird in her car. Today Lis took her again and her support (for 3 kids) was raised to 600/month. Quote the friend: if I'm found dead tomorrow, u know who did it.
Dance Class Resumes
@ Smiley and Junie's 1st dance class of the yr, and naturally both misplaced their ballet shoes so I look like a putz. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. On the + side i just looked @ last yrs dance pics & lk looks sooo much taller, leaner and more mature than she did a yr ago.
Kids will do that...they love to make you feel like a Putz- - Grandma J
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Jackie O
I greatly enjoyed ABC's 2 hour Jackie Kennedy special, and I wish I could afford the $60 price tag that comes with the book it promoted. I wish they hadn't spent a single second rationalizing her opinions; they were her opinions at that moment in time and big wup if they come off as bitchy 48 yrs later. It's not like MLK is going to hold a press conference and object.
I will say tho' that her "signature, breathy" voice is irritating in quantity. When you close your eyes, it sounds like a bad drag queen.
The Minnesota Fire
Old news to anyone in Milwaukee, but all afternoon/evening the city has been covered in a haze and reeking of smoke, courtesy of a wildfire in Minnesota - 300 miles away.
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