No Hablo W

From the AP:

WASHINGTON (May 19) - President George W. Bush supports two Senate proposals that English is the U.S. language and the "common and unifying language," White House spokesman Tony Snow said Friday.

This is a lame discussion and, in my opinion at least, merits no need for real debate. Considering the overwhelming majority of our media is printed or broadcast in English, and our governing bodies use English as the primary means of communication, I'm dubious of the intent of those proposals. I'm guessing the proposals have more to do with making some folks feel better just before voting season. (Which is a lot like deer season, but with more death and destruction.)

I'm chuckling today, though, because proposals to make English our "common and unifying language" are supported by a man who said:

Laura and I really don't realize how bright our children is sometimes until we get an objective analysis. (on CNBC, April 15, 2005)

The illiteracy level of our children are appalling. (speech on January 23, 2004)

Let me put it to you this way. I'm not a revengeful person. (Time, December 25, 2000)

One year ago today, the time for excuse-making has come to an end. (speech on January 8, 2003)

The Da Vinci Debate

The Da Vinci Code, one of the most anticipated films in recent years, opens this weekend to erratic buzz and a backlash from zealots.

We've chuckled at Tom Hanks' unusual haircut, and debated whether Harrison Ford may have been better in the lead role. But the outcry that is occurring worldwide about this movie is absurd. Consider these over-the-top reactions (most of which was reported at AOL's Movie News):

In Thailand on Wednesday, a police-run censorship board overturned an earlier decision to cut the last 10 minutes of the film, but insisted the distributor add disclaimers stating it was fiction.

In Ireland, volunteers plan to distribute free copies of a special edition of The Irish Catholic newspaper outside cinemas showing The Da Vinci Code over the weekend.

The Vatican has called for a boycott of the picture.

The Indian government said it would show the movie to Christian groups before clearing it for release.

In the mainly Catholic Philippines the censors have given it an "adult only" rating.

Talking heads are popping up almost hourly on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC and the morning network shows, and using the opportunity to discourage people from seeing the movie.

I read and enjoyed the book, and I am eager to see the film regardless of the reviews. More interesting to me is the outcry that seems to be occurring over a work of fiction. (Maybe.)

Saturday Morning Memories: Part 2

I always suspected that pre-teens fell into one of two Saturday morning camps during the early to mid-70s. You were either in:

Camp 1:


or Camp 2:



Because I liked intrigue, mystery and cute girls with pig-tails I was a Land Of The Lost fan. Which did you prefer, and why?

Whatever Happened To...Meeno Peluce

Voyagers was a unique show that lasted 20 episodes on NBC during the 1982-83 season. Jon Erik-Hexum and kid sidekick Meeno traveled through time to right wrongs and kick ass. Each week they landed somewhere in history, discovered an anomaly (that's geek talk for "something ain't quite right") and worked to correct history. I think Voyagers was a forerunner of shows like Quantum Leap and Sliders.

Anyhow, Hexum was killed in a tragic blank-gun shooting incident. I haven't' seen Meeno since.

UPDATE: See the latest update on Peluce (and his photography biz) here at this link.

Saturday Morning Memories: Part 1

The Saturday mornings of my childhood were such fun. My brother and I would get up early, grab some sugary cereal and sit down in front of the tube. We played outside most of the day--living on a farm in the country sort of made that mandatory--but from about 7:3oam until noon we watched cartoons.

Cartoons B.S. (Before Scrappy Doo, for those who have not heard me wail about it) were lively, inventive and advanced by great story-line writing. Cartoons P.S. (Post Scrappy Doo) seem to be created only to sell merchandise, and suffer from tired, re-treaded plotlines.

It's interesting how much from those B.S.shows have stuck with me into my adulthood. Thirty years later I can still sing the entire theme from Hong Kong Phooey, and I rely on Schoolhouse Rock's "Lolly, Lolly, Lolly" for my definition of an adverb. Fun cartoons weren't just for Saturdays, though:



Timer rocked! He taught kids about the nervous system in an After School Special. On Saturdays, in between full length cartoons, he showed us how to make homemade popsicles. Most importantly, he taught us the value of cheese as a snack.

About 10 years ago my wife and I were eating at The Cheese Cellar, in Pittsburgh. Our first time there, we were reading the menu when the waitress arrived to take our order. It went like this:

Waitress: Hi. Ready to order?

Me: Well, I'm hankering for a hunk of...

My wife: Please ignore him.

Me. A slab, a slice, a chunk of...

My wife: [kicking me under the table] Really, he is just weird. Ignore him and he will stop.

Me. I'm hankering for a hunk of cheese.

Waitress: Yeah...Whatever. Listen, you wanna hear the specials?

You'd never get that life-long memory from The Care Bears!

Elections Have Consequences...

I heard the phrase when Harriet Miers was first nominated to the US Supreme Court. I heard it again when Chief Justice Rehnquist died, and a second W-nominated judge was added to the Court.

But I'll be damned, I didn't fully realize those consequences until the night Chris Daughtry was voted off American Idol.

Wolf Creek

I hate horror movies. More truthfully, I'm scared of them. I saw Rosemary's Baby when I was a kid, and I ain't been the same since. So, when my wife qued up Wolf Creek from Netflix, I became a little nervous. I read the Netflix plot summary:

Writer-director Greg Mclean bases his first feature film on actual events in the Australian Outback, where three friends find their road trip cut short by a series of unexplained mysteries. Left stranded to fend for their own survival, the weary travelers dodge an ominous set of strange lights that seem to be targeting their every move. This official Sundance selection won critics' praise for its chillingly realistic approach to horror.

Okay, I thought. Maybe a sci-fi horror flick, or a low-budget thriller. "Srange lights" and "unexplained mysteries" are fine with me. So, I buttered up the popcorn and hit "play."

Sweet Jesus!

Wolf Creek is nothing like it was advertised by our buddies at Netflix. Here is my version:

Three friends travel to deserted Aussie Outback. Car breaks down. A badass Crocodile Dundee-type pretends to help them out, drugs them and then tortures and kills two of the three. Lots of knives, guns and blood. Enjoy.

Wolf Creek is neither original or interesting. It was closer to watching a snuff film. Skip it.

Please, Make It Stop!

From Hollywood.com, and the London Free Press:

"Katie is a young girl's name. Her name is Kate now she's a child-bearing woman."
-Tom Cruise, on his fiancée, 'Kate' Holmes

Feed A Cold, Starve A Fever, Watch Flicks For The Pukes

While recovering from a nasty stomach virus this week, I caught up on a few films I've been wanting to see for some time. Between bathroom breaks (sorry for the visual), I saw:

Capote: For me, Capote is a B+ movie with A+ acting. Prior to Oscar time, I doubted the move to cast Philip Seymour Hoffman in the lead. I'm a serious fan of Hoffman. I've seen all his films, and think he is the Dustin Hoffman of this era (the best compliment I can give to a character actor). But, play Truman Capote? C'mon...Well, he does. Superbly. An honest, moving and impressive portrayal. I liked the movie pretty well, but it was his performance that made the film an event for me.

The Family Stone: I wanted to like this movie for so many reasons, most of them involving Sarah Jessica Parker. I think she is wickedly talented, sexy and weird. Stone has a very good cast, and the acting was above board. Parker tries to assimilate into a family that seems very normal, but which is experiencing a grief and despair that hasn't yet risen to the surface. It does, mid-way through the movie, and the results were sort of off-putting to me. Some of the dynamics in the film made me feel uncomfortable, and made me enjoy the movie less.

Shopgirl: Based on a novella by Steve Martin, Shopgirl follows a smalltown girl as she discovers herself in big city LA. We get to see how choices and relationships affect her maturity and perspective, and how she becomes more resilient through some strained experiences. I thought Shopgirl was a fantastic, original movie, with appropriately restrained performances by Claire Danes and Steve Martin. Jason Schwartzman steals the movie with what I think is his best performance since Rushmore.

Of the three, I recommend Shopgirl highest.

Now, back to the couch...

To See Or Not To See

United 93 was released over the weekend, to a flurry of critical praise and warning. The film is reportedly well done, but many feel it is too realistic and too soon after 9/11/01 to serve as entertainment.

I'm curious: Will you see United 93, and why or why not?