Bellingham View

MAD TEST

2011-10-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

Box Office Update: Labor Day Edition

2010-09-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

The outcome of the 2010 summer box office contest had not been in doubt for some time, but now it’s official: Stu has defended his title from 2009, winning this year’s edition by a walk.

With an impressive five films grossing more than $130 million, and three over $238 million, Stu’s picks earned him an easy runaway victory, with an eight-film total summer gross of $1.073 billion.

John was, again, the runner-up, with roughly $818 million in total grosses. Highlights were more than $312 million from “Iron Man” and nearly $100 million from “The Expendables.”

Again, I finished third. Having the summer’s biggest movie — “Toy Story 3,” at over $400 million — couldn’t make up for having “The Adjustment Bureau” moved out of summer and the dismal performance of my hoped-for sleeper picks.

Dave’s run of bad box office luck continues, with a second straight summer of discontent, finishing last again, despite nearly $300 million from “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” and nearly $160 million from “Grown Ups.” [Note to self: Never fail to pick an Adam Sandler summer comedy again!]

Until next year…

Box Office Update: August 1 Edition

2010-08-01T22:52:00.000-07:00

After a month’s hiatus, the box office report is back, and – well – not much has changed.

Stu’s commanding lead continues, as he’s racked up over $950 million in grosses, outpacing his nearest competitor by almost $240 million.

John’s hoping “The Expendables” will keep him in second place next week.

Dave’s highlights have been “Twilight” doing predictably well and Adam Sandler’s winning streak continuing with strong performance by “The Grown Ups.”

My consolation prize is that “Toy Story 3” is the highest-grossing movie of the summer.

Here are the totals through August 1:

Stu (seven films): $955 million
John (seven films): $716 million
Dave (six films): $696 million
Robert (six films): $623 million

And Then There Were Four...

2010-07-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

The semifinals of the world's greatest sporting event are upon us, with Uruguay facing off against the Netherlands on Tuesday, and Germany battling Spain on Wednesday, each for a place in the final.

The last week of competition has left some nations heartbroken, to say nothing of those of us in the first annual Bellingham View World Cup pool.

Here's what happened since we last checked in...

STU
* As of last Sunday, Stu's remaining teams were Spain and Paraguay

* In the round of 16, Spain outlasted Portugal 1-0, while Paraguay played Japan to a soulless 0-0 draw, advancing by a 5-3 margin on penalty kicks

* This set up a quarterfinal matchup between Spain and Paraguay, so Stu was guaranteed to lose one squad. It turned out to be the South Americans, as La Seleccion -- behind yet another late-game goal from Barcelona-bound striker David Villa -- advanced with a 1-0 victory

* Can Spain stop the steamrolling Mannschaft? Vamos a ver.

* Remaining team: Spain

ROBERT
* As of last Sunday, my remaining teams were Portugal and Japan

* From the entry above, you can see that Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal couldn't match the Spaniard Villa's brilliance, and the Japan was unable to repeat its dead-ball prowess from the Denmark match and failed to advance past Paraguay

* Eliminated

KIMO
* As of last Sunday, Kimo's remaining teams were Brazil and Ghana

* Pre-tournament favorites Brazil looked stellar in the group stage and even moreso in their 3-1 victory over Chile in the round of 16, combining a sturdy Dunga-mandated defense with a strong attack. So, it was not a shock to see them go up 1-0 through Robinho within the first quarter-hour against the Netherlands, and narrowly miss going up 2-0 through Kaka just past the half-hour mark. What was a shock, however, was to see them give up two Wesley Sneidjer goals, then have to play a good deal of the second half a man down after Felipe Melo's stupid stomping of the otherwise lamentable Arjen Robben. No samba in Brazil this year.

* People with far greater writing ability than I have failed to come up with words that would adequately describe the sporting tragedy that was Ghana's hearbreaking loss to Uruguay in the quarterfinals. I still don't believe what I saw unfold on that TV screen, but Ghana is out, and we can only hope that the cheating Uruguayans will be rolled in humiliating fashion by the Dutch.

* Eliminated

JOHN
* As of last Sunday, John's three remaining teams were the Argentina, the Netherlands and Slovakia, the latter two of which met in the round of 16

* The upstart Slovakians couldn't keep the momentum of their historic defeat of the defending world champions Italy, losing 2-1 to the Netherlands, who then went on to deliver the above-mentioned knockout punch to Brazil

* Argentina was demolished 4-0 by a rampaging Germany squad, ending Diego Maradona's hopes of doing the World Cup double of winning as both a player and coach

* I'll be rooting for the Dutch to destroy Uruguay; oddly enough, John won't be, as a win will put the Oranje one victory from joining the exclusive club of World Cup winners, an outcome that offends Mr. Chamberlain's sensibilities to no end

* Remaining team: Netherlands

DAVE
* As of last Sunday, Dave's remaining teams were Germany, Uruguay and Chile

* The Chileans were dispatched with ease by Brazil

* As stated above, Germany continued its roll through the competition by crushing Argentina, and Uruguay parlayed a last-second goal-line handball/straight red card into an improbable and undeserved berth in the semis

* Remaining teams: Germany, Uruguay

Goals

2010-06-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

For those whiny sticks in the mud who claim they hate soccer because no one ever scores, the first four knockout round matches of World Cup 2010 played yesterday and today resulted in a total of 15 goals, with no match having fewer than three.

Not bad, imho.

In terms of the pool...

STU

* The United States were eliminated on Saturday at the hands of Ghana, losing 2-1.

* Remaining teams as of Sunday night: Spain and Paraguay

ROBERT

* The Three Lions of England were unceremoniously dumped by a rampaging, counter-attacking Germany squad by a margin of 4-1 on Sunday

* Mexico was also bounced out, with the Albiceleste of Argentina besting El Tri 3-1

* Remaining teams as of Sunday night: Portugal and Japan

KIMO

* Mr. Proudfoot didn't lose a team this weekend

* Ghana showed the U.S. the door, 2-1, earning a quarterfinal clash with Uruguay

* Brazil plays Chile on Monday

* Remaining teams as of Sunday night: Brazil and Chile

JOHN

* Much to his chagrin, Mr. Chamberlain also survived the weekend without losing a team, but he'll bid farewell to either the Netherlands or Slovakia on Monday, as they play one another

* He can't bring himself to root for them, but his Argentines rolled over Mexico today

* Remaining teams as of Sunday night: Netherlands, Argentina, Slovakia

DAVE

* Dave's Germans are looking strong after the England victory, but they face a buzz-saw in Argentina for their quarterfinal match

* Uruguay beat South Korea on Sunday and faces Ghana on Friday in the quarterfinals

* Chile goes up against the biggest giants of them all, Brazil, on Monday

* Remaining teams as of Sunday night: Germany, Uruguay and Chile

Box Office Update: More Toys and Grown-Ups

2010-06-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

“Toy Story 3” held strong, ringing up another $59 million in sales this weekend for a 10-day cume of $226.6 million for me.

Dave’s “Grown Ups” landed in the Adam Sandler summer sweet spot with $41 million in its first weekend.

John’s “Knight and Day” wasn’t the adventure he was hoping for, grossing $28 million after five days. He’s hoping the movie has legs like Cameron Diaz’s. Madon’!

“The Karate Kid” keeps waxing on and off, now up to $135.6 million for Stu.

Next week brings Dave’s big summer bite, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” on Wednesday, with Stu’s M. Night Shyamalan–directed “The Last Airbender,” landing on Friday.

Here are the totals through June 27:

John (six films): $596 million
Stu (two films): $365 million
Robert (four films): $327 million
Dave (five films): $291 million

The Knockout Stage

2010-06-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

After two weeks of thrilling action, the group stage of World Cup 2010 South Africa has come to an end, with 16 teams remaining to enter the knockout stage of the competition, which begins today.

Which brings us to our World Cup pool, in which four friends and I each drew six teams out of a hat, with $10 (I erroneously thought it was $20 in my initial post on the subject) from each to be paid to the person holding the golden ticket bearing the name of the eventual World Cup–winning nation.

And, of course, things didn't quite go according to form.

STU
1. Spain: La Seleccion were pre-tournament favorites, but they shockingly lost their first game to Switzerland before recovering with two stylish wins over Honduras and Chile. Player for player, they have the most talented squad in South Africa. It will be interesting to see if these Galacticos can put it together for a deep run. Next up: Portugal, on Tuesday, in what could be one of the most exciting matches of the Cup.

2. Italy (eliminated): The defending champion Azzurri were embarrassingly knocked out in round one, after three awful performances.

3. United States: Playing the role of comeback kids, the Americans rallied to secure two dramatic draws in their first two matches (albeit, the first via a gift from the English) and then won their third on a thrilling injury-time winner by Landon Donovan. Next up: Ghana, today.

4. Paraguay: The least-bad of the teams in Group F, Paraguay topped the group which defined underachievement. Next up: Japan, on Tuesday.

5. Australia (eliminated): The Socceroos couldn't repeat their charmed run of 2006, exiting the cup after a win, draw and loss in the group stage on goal differential to Ghana.

6. North Korea (eliminated): Their sole highlight was scoring against Brazil in their opening match.

ROBERT
1. England: The Three Lions have looked incredibly shaky, with a poor draw against the U.S. following goalkeeper Robert Green's gaffe heard 'round the world in their first match and a thoroughly disastrous draw against Algeria in their second redeemed only by an unexciting but effective 1-0 win over Slovenia to secure second place in Group C. Next up: Germany, tomorrow.

2. Portugal: One of world soccer's most stylish and yet confounding squads, Portugal had a truly bizarre first stage, with scoreless draws vs. the Ivory Coast and Brazil sandwiched around a 7-0 thrashing of North Korea. Can star Cristiano Ronaldo -- arguably the world's second-best player -- lead them to the promised land? Next up: Spain, on Tuesday.

3. Mexico: El Tri was fortunate to escape their opening match against hosts South Africa with a draw, then they thumped 2006 finalists France before losing to Uruguay by a goal to finish second in Group A. Next up: Argentina, tomorrow.

4. Cameroon (eliminated): Striker Samuel Eto'o is coming off two unprecedented seasons on club level, winning league titles, domestic cups and the European Champions League in each of the past two years with two different teams -- Barcelona and Inter Milan -- but he and his countrymen couldn't advance out of the group stage, losing to Japan, Denmark and the Netherlands in succession for a disappointing result to their 2010 campaign.

5. Honduras (eliminated): Losses to Chile and Spain and a draw to Switzerland equaled a hasty exit from the group stage.

6. Japan: Tenacious performances by Japan led to 1-0 win over Cameroon and a 3-1 decision over Denmark, enough to overcome their 1-0 loss to Netherlands and secure passage to the knockout stage. Next up: Paraguay, on Tuesday.

KIMO
1. Brazil: The Selecao predictably triumphed in Group G, defeating North Korea and the Ivory Coast before being held to a scoreless draw by an overly defensive Portugal squad in their third match. The world's favorite team has added a defensive mindset to their offensive flair in 2010, and they're hungry to take home the trophy for the sixth time. Next up: Chile, on Monday.

2. France (eliminated): Providing the best soap opera of the tournament, France drew their first match against Uruguay, had starting striker Nicolas Anelka thrown out of the team following their second-game drubbing by Mexico, then saw captain Patrice Evra benched for the game three loss to South Africa following an argument with Les Bleus' trainer that resulted in said trainer and the vice-chair of the French Football Federation quitting in disgust and the team refusing to train. Sacrebleu! And good riddance.

3. Serbia (eliminated): Shocking Germany with a 1-0 victory in their second match will remain their highlight of 2010, as losses to Ghana and Australia led to a quick ouster.

4. Nigeria (eliminated): The Super Eagles' hopes of being Africa's standard-bearers were dashed with losses to Argentina and Greece and a draw to South Korea.

5. Ghana: They lost talisman Michael Essien to injury before the World Cup even started, but Ghana have persevered, beating Serbia in their opening match and drawing with Australia in their second before losing to group toppers Germany in their last first round contest. Next up: the U.S., today.

6. Denmark (eliminated): The Danes were not great, losing 2-0 to the Netherlands and then being dumped 3-1 by South Korea. Consolation prize: their second-match 2-1 win over Cameroon.

JOHN
1. Netherlands: The Dutch won all three of their group stage matches to win Group E on nine points, but their Total Football style was never truly in evidence. The return of Arjen Robben from injury will help in the knockout round. Next up: Slovakia, on Monday.

2. Argentina: The Albiceleste have gone marauding through the group stage, easily topping Nigeria, South Korea and Greece to cruise into the knockout round on nine points, behind the scoring exploits of Gonzalo Higuain and the playmaking of the world's best player, Lionel Messi. Caution: The Argentines similarly dominated group play in 2006 only to flop in knockout time. And who knows what distraction manager Diego Maradona will provide. Next up: Mexico, tomorrow.

3. Greece (eliminated): The Greeks were hammered by South Korea and Argentina, rendering their win over Nigeria useless. Their win in Euro 2004 must be hereby consigned to an aberrant fluke.

4. Ivory Coast (eliminated): Didier Drogba gamely played through a broken arm but even his brilliance couldn't pull Les Elephantes through what many deemed the "group of death," with Brazil and Portugal ultimately proving too much.

5. Slovakia: After a draw to New Zealand and a bad loss to Paraguay, Slovakia thought they needed a miracle to advance out of the group stage. Luckily for them, they got one better: Italy for an opponent. Slovakia completely out-hustled and outplayed their more celebrated final-match adversaries and deservingly went through after a thrilling 3-2 victory. Next up: the Netherlands, on Monday.

6. South Korea: A 2-0 win over Greece got their campaign off to a nice start before Argentina kicked them all over the park 4-1. A 2-2 draw with Nigeria got them into the knockout round. Next up: Uruguay, today. UPDATE: In a very good match played in a driving rain, South Korea was level with Uruguay deep into the second half, before succumbing to some individual brilliance by Luis Suarez and losing 2-1.

DAVE
1. Germany: A favorite to perform well at any major competition due to superior organizational skills and a deep sense of national pride, the three-time World Cup champions got off to a rousing start at South Africa 2010 with a 4-0 demolition of Australia before stumbling a bit in a 1-0 loss to Serbia. They regained their footing with a 1-0 victory over Ghana to top Group D. Next up: England, tomorrow.

2. Uruguay: Two-time champions Uruguay drew with France in their opener and then easily handled South Africa (3-0) before edging Mexico 1-0 to win Group A. Next up: South Korea, today. UPDATE: A terrific brace by Luis Suarez has taken Uruguay to the quarterfinals after a 2-1 victory over South Korea.

3. Chile: A pair of 1-0 wins over Honduras and Switzerland put Chile in position to win Group H, but a 2-0 loss to Spain left them second. Next up: Brazil, on Monday.

4. Slovenia (eliminated): When Slovenia beat Algeria 1-0 in their first match and jumped to a 2-0 lead over the U.S. in their second, they must have thought their football dreams were about to come true. Two second-half strikes by the U.S. left Slovenia smarting at having to settle for a draw, and when they couldn't score against England, their campaign was over.

5. Algeria (eliminated): It's hard to win if you don't score, and the Algerians never found the net in South Africa, going scoreless in a draw and two losses in Group C.

6. South Africa (eliminated): The hosts have put on a nice tournament, but Bafana Bafana unfortunately became the first host in World Cup history not to advance out of group play. But, they did have that glorious win over the hapless French in their last match.

More to come...

Box Office Update: Toy Edition

2010-06-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

“Toy Story 3” finally opened, restoring just a slight bit of dignity to my selections in this year’s box office pool. The highly anticipated threequel grossed $109 million in its first three days, establishing a new opening weekend record for a Disney/Pixar film.

The weekend’s other wide release, Dave’s “Jonah Hex,” unfortunately misfired, grossing $5.1 million.

Stu’s improbable summer blockbuster – “The Karate Kid” – chopped up another $29 million for a 10-day cume of $106 million.

The plan of John’s would-be sleeper blockbuster – “The A-Team” – didn’t quite come together, but it added another $13.8 million for a 10-day total of $49.8 million.

John’s third pick, the Tom Cruise-Cameron Diaz action comedy “Knight and Day,” leaps into action on Wednesday. Dave’s fifth – the summer comedy “Grown-Ups,” starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider – opens Friday.

Here are the totals through June 20:

John (five films): $507 million
Stu (two films): $329 million
Dave (four films): $237 million
Robert (four films): $200 million

Box Office Update: World Cup Edition

2010-06-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

In an event as unlikely as the country of England (the birthplace of football, aka soccer) failing to beat the United States in a World Cup match, Stu’s eighth pick, “The Karate Kid” remake starring Jaden Smith, was the #1 movie at the box office this weekend, kicking up an estimated $56 million in its first three days.

The weekend’s other major wide release was John’s fifth pick, “The A-Team,” and the re-boot of the 1980s television series fired blanks, opening to a relatively disappointing $26 million.

As for the holdover success stories, John’s “Iron Man 2” will pass $300 million this week, Stu’s “Shrek Forever After” has passed the $210 million mark, and Dave’s “Robin Hood” will pass $100 million this week. I, on the other hand, have no success stories.

Next week brings my biggest hope, Disney/Pixar’s “Toy Story 3,” while Dave hopes “Jonah Hex” will rustle up some business.

Here are the totals through June 13:

John (five films): $507 million
Stu (two films): $266 million
Dave (three films): $215 million
Robert (three films): $72 million

Mondiale di calcio

2010-06-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

World Cup 2010 is upon us, with the world's premier sporting event set to kick off this Friday as the Bafana Bafana of host nation South Africa square off against Los Tricolores of Mexico.

And what would a major sporting competition be without a wager? So, four friends and I drew teams out of a hat, with $20 from each to be paid to the person holding the golden ticket bearing the name of the eventual World Cup–winning nation.

After dropping what we agreed were probably the two lowest seeds in the tournament – New Zealand and Switzerland – we put the remaining 30 teams in three pods of 10, roughly according to the most recent FIFA world rankings, with seeds 1–10 in group one, seeds 11–20 in group two and seeds 21–30 in group three. Each player selected two teams from each group, for a total of six national teams per player.

And the results...

STU

1. Spain

2. Italy

3. United States

4. Paraguay

5. Australia

6. Korea DPR (North Korea)

ROBERT

1. England

2. Portugal

3. Mexico

4. Cameroon

5. Honduras

6. Japan

KIMO

1. Brazil

2. France

3. Serbia

4. Nigeria

5. Ghana

6. Denmark

JOHN

1. Netherlands

2. Argentina

3. Greece

4. Ivory Coast

5. Slovakia

6. Korea Republic (South Korea)

DAVE

1. Germany

2. Uruguay

3. Chile

4. Slovenia

5. Algeria

6. South Africa

I'll be rooting for the Three Lions of England, as they're my highest-rated squad, but I'll happily forego the $80 prize if the Azzurri of Italy – my favorite team since childhood – can somehow regain form to repeat as champions and tie Brazil's record of having won five World Cups.

Forza Azzurri!

Box Office Update: D-Day+66 Edition

2010-06-06T22:25:00.000-07:00

Today, the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics, evening the NBA Finals at one game apiece. Yesterday, the Italian national soccer team – yes, the defending World Cup champion Azzurri – had to scramble to save a 1-1 draw vs. Switzerland, days after a humiliating 2-1 defeat to Mexico. My brutal weekend continued, with my fourth, seventh and eighth picks in the summer box office contest – “Get Him to the Greek,” “Marmaduke” and “Splice,” respectively – opening to a combined $36.2 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

Dave’s “Killers” fired up $16.1 million worth of tickets in its opening weekend, “Sex and the City 2” dropped -59% for a 10-day total of $73.4 million, and “Robin Hood” is quietly shooting toward $100 million.

Stu’s “Shrek Forever After” was #1 for the third weekend in a row, lumbering its way to a cume of $184 million to date.

John’s “Iron Man 2” is now up to $291.3 million, while “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” has fought its way to $59.5 million.

Next week brings the release of “The A-Team” for John and “The Karate Kid” for Stu. I heard something truly bizarre tonight, that a friend of ours thinks “The A-Team” will have a three-day opening tally of $55 million and “The Karate Kid” will open at $28 million. Wow.

Here are the totals through June 6:

John (four films): $456 million
Dave (two films): $184 million
Stu (one film): $183 million
Robert (three films): $36.2 million

Box Office Update: Memorial Day Edition

2010-05-31T12:57:00.000-07:00

Now that the dust has settled on May – my yearly mensis horriblus, due to work issues – it’s time to refocus on important things: the weekly summer box office report.

A lot has happened since we last checked in. “Iron Man 2” opened to solid results, if a bit less than expected, but has held up OK, fighting its way to a total of $275 million to date for John.

Stu’s big ticket, “Shrek Forever After,” opened far below DreamWorks’ expectations, and now has $133 million in the bank after 10 days, according to estimates from Box Office Mojo.

Dave’s second pick, “Sex and the City 2,” sashayed its way to a $45 million four-day opening, off $12 million from the three-day opening weekend of the original. But the results are still sold for Mr. Shaw, New Line and Warner Bros.

“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” opened with $30 million for John this weekend, putting his hopes of winning the contest in serious jeopardy.

“Robin Hood” has hunted down $83 million to date for Dave, while John’s “Letters to Juliet” got lost in the mail, with a cume so far of $37 million, which isn’t awful for an eighth pick. John’s seventh choice, “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” has scared up $62 million so far.

Next week brings “Killers” for Dave, while three of my movies square off in what I hope will not be a zero-sum death match: “Get Him to the Greek,” Marmaduke” and “Splice.”

Here are the totals through May 31:

John (four films): $403.3 million
Dave (two films): $128.4 million
Stu (one film): $133.2 million
Robert (N/A): N/A

Summer Box Office: Green Sabbath Edition

2010-05-09T11:42:00.000-07:00

Weekend number two of the 2010 summer box office contest saw the release of what was widely thought to be the most lethal weapon in the summer cash hunt: John’s first pick and number one overall, “Iron Man 2,” with Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson and Don Cheadle joining stars Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow in the Jon Favreau–directed sequel to the 2008 smash, which had grossed $318 million in the U.S.

According to Sunday estimates by Box Office Mojo, the film banked $133.6 million for its opening frame, including Thursday midnight screenings. While that was good enough for the fifth-best three-day opening of all-time, according to TheWrap.com, it fell short of some observers’ (cough cough, John and Stu, cough cough) contention that it would open bigger than “The Dark Knight.”

But John is likely happy with these results, as the film should easily cruise to $300 million, even though drop-off will likely be big and hopes of a $400 million haul seem dashed.

“A Nightmare on Elm Street” scared up just over $9 million in its second weekend, for a 10-day cume of $48.5 million.

Next Friday, Dave enters the fray with the “Robin Hood” re-boot, starring Russell Crowe and directed by Ridley Scott, while John goes the weepy route, with “Letters to Juliet” about to hit the mail.

Here are the totals through May 9:

John (two films): $182.1 million
Dave (N/A): N/A
Robert (N/A): N/A

Stu (N/A): N/A

Summer Box Office: Nightmare Edition

2010-05-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

The race has begun, with John’s seventh selection – the reboot of “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” starring Jackie Earle Haley – topping the domestic box office in its first weekend with a three-day gross of $32.2 million, according to estimates from Box Office Mojo.

My hopes for victory took a blow last week, as Universal Pictures unkindly moved “The Adjustment Bureau” – starring Matt Damon and, more importantly, my sixth pick – out of the summer and into September, leaving me with only seven films. So, I’ll have to win this with one hand tied behind my back.

Next week brings the wide release of John’s first selection and the odds-on favorite for highest-grossing movie of the summer, “Iron Man 2.” His eighth pick, “Letters to Juliet,” also gets a sneak peek on Sunday.

Here are the totals through May 2:

John (one film): $32.2 million
Dave (N/A): N/A
Robert (N/A): N/A
Stu (N/A): N/A

Summer Movie Ca$h

2010-04-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

The summer movie contest is back. As a quick refresher, three friends of mine and I choose eight upcoming movies in a fantasy sports-esque draft, and whoever has the highest-grossing slate at the end of the contest wins $20 from each of the other participants, normally paid out at a humiliating luncheon.

Last year's contest was a runaway, with Stu's picks outgrossing his nearest competition by more than $470 million dollars. We can't let that happen again.

The 2010 contest covers the U.S. box office earnings of films between April 30 and September 6. The draft was conducted last night, and here are our picks:

2010 SUMMER BOX OFFICE CONTEST

APRIL 30-SEPTEMBER 6

JOHN

1. Iron Man 2

8. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

9. Knight and Day

16. The Expendables

17. The A-Team

24. Predators

25. Nightmare on Elm Street

32. Letters to Juliet

Note: John asserts that six of these films will gross more than $100 million. We think he's delusional. Check back at the end of the summer.

DAVE

2. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

7. Sex and the City 2

10. Robin Hood

15. Step Up 3D

18. Grown-Ups

23. Killers

26. Jonah Hex

31. The Switch

Note: Not sure about at that Step Up 3D pick or passing over Toy Story 3 with his first choice.

ROBERT

3. Toy Story 3

6. Salt

11. The Sorcerer's Apprentice

14. Get Him to the Greek

19. The Other Guys

22. The Adjustment Bureau

27. Marmaduke

30. Splice

Note: Four guaranteed $100 million grossers and a sleeper kids' dog movie = your winner.

STU

4. Shrek Forever After

5. Inception

12. The Last Airbender

13. Despicable Me

20. Dinner for Schmucks

21. Eat, Pray, Love

28. Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

29. The Karate Kid

Note: Stu thinks he has five films destined for $100 million or more. Please.

Everybody's a Critic, Part IV: Other Favorite Songs of 2009

2010-03-07T14:57:00.000-08:00

OK, so my pledge to post more regularly has apparently gone the way of bi-partisanship in Washington, as it's been over a month since my last attempt.

I began writing this on the day of the Academy Awards, but do I have my thoughts together on my favorite movies of 2009? Of course not, so this entry will begin some long-delayed ruminations on my favorite songs of last year.

As a refresher, here's a link to my five favorite albums of 2009.

Now, for some individual tracks ... not including any from the favorite albums list noted above. I'll keep adding new songs and thoughts to the bottom of this entry throughout the coming weeks, because there's no telling when I'll actually finish the whole thing.

* I and Love and You by The Avett Brothers, You Really Got a Hold on Me by She & Him, and The Weary Kind by Ryan Bingham: If music history had a "most beautiful-sounding recording of all time" contest, and each year got to submit a handful of entries for consideration, these three breathtaking tracks would represent the year past just nicely, in my humble opinion. They're not upbeat by any stretch, mind you, but they're gorgeous and soulful nonetheless. The Avett track is just killer, an aching lament about a relationship ended. The Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward classic cover examines what happens when the heart knows better but can't help itself. And what can one say about Bingham? Got regrets? So does the character in his song ... but one can hope it's not too late.

* Gasoline by The Airborne Toxic Event and Geraldine by Glasvegas: These two songs sat adjacent to one another on just about every mix or iTunes playlist I put together last year. Yes, I realize Gasoline came out in 2008: I was a bit late to the game, so this is admittedly a slight cheat. That said, music history is full of songs about first loves and trying to re-write history: Gasoline's breakneck pace caught my ear and never let up. If the dude from Thunder Road never picked up Mary, this might have been what he was left with as a theme song: "The words you said tore through my head like bullets from a gun/I shoulda just shown up and said 'Get in this car, let's run.'" And looking back at the succeeding, failed relationships that never measured up to that glorious first: "These years have seen so many imitations turning green/Each like the last, they go right past, like credits on a screen/But your memory blazes through me, burning everything, like gasoline." As for Geraldine, simply put, the world would be a better place if everyone knew a Geraldine: "When you're lost in the deep and darkest place around/May my words walk you home safe and sound."

* Kick Drum Heart by The Avett Brothers and Bull Black Nova by Wilco: These two don't have much in common except that they're propulsive, keyboard-driven toe-tappers that I played relentlessly throughout the year.

* Slowly (Oh Slowly) and Nikorette by Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band: The self-conscious, slightly overwrought prodigy of Bright Eyes has evolved into a confident-sounding, virtuoso in his self-titled "solo" debut of 2008 and last year's Outer South: These two songs are my favorites from the latter.

To be continued...

Everybody's a Critic, Part III: Another Year at the Movies, Honorable Mentions and Docs

2010-01-31T16:28:00.000-08:00

Most years, I’m good for seeing about 75–100 new releases in the theater, with a handful of revival/repertory screenings and another dozen or so on DVD. This year, try as I might, I only saw 50 new features on the big screen.

Not even averaging one film per week represents an all-time low for me as an adult. While I certainly could have forced myself to engage more, the year was oddly uninspiring for long stretches, although there were some really compelling movies released this year, as well as some highly encouraging commercial success stories.

As for the movies themselves...

HONORABLE MENTIONS (ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

(500) Days of Summer: Romantic comedies can be deadly, but this one avoided just about all of the genre pitfalls and delivered a sweet three-act tale of the arc of a relationship (highlighted by some beautiful downtown Los Angeles photography), with affecting performances by indie icons Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.

The Hangover: Call me biased (I work on the TV side of the studio that released it), but The Hangover is the perfect summer buddy flick. Bradley Cooper established himself as a star, Ken Jeong added to his string of priceless high-energy comedy cameos, and Zach Galifianakis walks off with the picture. Oh, I almost forgot: Mike Tyson sings Phil Collins. Seriously.

The Informant!: Steven Soderbergh is probably one of the most talented artists on the planet, writing, producing, shooting and editing more than 20 films since his stunning arrival with Sex, Lies and Videotape back in 1989. As iconoclastic as they come, Soderbergh seems equally at home crafting crowd-pleasing major-studio fare, experimenting with no-budget digital productions and also trying to find that elusive middle: making films within the studio system that challenge audiences and bear the distinctive stamp of a substantive artist at work. I don't always find myself loving what he delivers, but I never want to miss one of his effots. The Informant! is, at once, many things: a biting satire about corporate greed, a dark comedy about human nature, and -- in Soderbergh's hands -- a whopper of a bizarre tale about a quasi-whistleblower at agricultural giant Archer Daniels Midland. I'm still not convinced this movie works on all levels, and the story is so bizarre as to be completely unbelievable at times (although most of it, apparently, is true), but Matt Damon is priceless as crook/hero/villain Mark Whitacre. Not everyone will care for this, and if you're expecting a straightforward take akin to Michael Mann's incredible The Insider, look elsewhere. But if offbeat and lacerating is your taste, this might be for you.

The International: Clive Owen stars in this globe-trotting thriller as an Interpol agent who teams up with Naomi Watt's New York assistant district attorney to investigate an all-powerful international bank that is mixed up in arms dealing, laundering money and overthrowing politically inconvenient governments. Armin Mueller-Stahl is in it, too. If that's not enough, it's got one of the all-time great shootout scenes, set in New York's Guggenheim Museum, painstakingly recreated on a sound stage so as to, you know, damage up the masterpieces and such. Great fun.

Public Enemies: I regard Michael Mann as one of the best filmmakrs of the last 30 years, so the release of any new picture of his takes on event status in my mind. As I wrote last summer when I saw the first trailer for the film: "Michael Mann directing Johnny Depp and Christian Bale in a period drama about John Dillinger? Fughedaboudit. Expectations couldn't be higher." I think my hopes for the film may have been elevated in such a way that they exceeded the grasp of any mortal's artistry, but the movie is still very strong, with a rugged star turn by Depp and strong supporting work by Marion Cotillard as the object of Dillinger's affection and Stephen Lang as a lawman on his trail.

Up: I confess to seeing only half of Pixar's theatrical output over the years, even though I fully understand the argument that while their movies are kid- and family-friendly, they also offer rich rewards for adults. I'm not philosophically opposed to animated features -- trust me, I've been waiting in vain for more than 20 years for Warner Bros., Disney, Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis to make a sequel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit -- but they aren't normally top of my list. That said, I finally saw Up in its third or fourth week of release, and it was wonderful. Now, did I completely love all of it? No. But that opening half-hour was truly heartbreaking, as was the ending. Damn you, Pixar!

Whatever Works: Larry David is great in the Woody Allen role in this comic farce also starring Evan Rachel Wood and Patricia Clarkson. This continues a nice run of form by writer/director Allen, including Vicki Cristina Barcelona, my favorite movie of 2008; Cassandra’s Dream, a highly underrated 2007 thriller; and Match Point, from 2005. (Feel free to overlook 2006’s Scoop.)

DOCUMENTARIES

Art & Copy: A more inspiring movie about creativity and expression (with not just a little dollop of message manipulation and image manufacturing thrown in) you will not find. If you work in media or communications -- in any fashion -- this is a must-see film.

It Might Get Loud: Jack White, U2’s the Edge and Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page give witness to why all we might really need in life are three chords and the truth.

The Way We Get By: A group of citizens in Maine gather at all hours of the day and night at Bangor International Airport to make sure that members of our armed services who are either (1) flying out to duty overseas or are (2) returning to the United States from serving abroad always have someone there to wish them good luck or welcome them home. Selfless, beautiful stuff.

Next up ... some day ... my 10 favorites of 2009 ... to be continued ...

Springsteen on "Spectacle"

2010-01-17T11:22:00.001-08:00

As everyone knows by now, I'm a lifelong Bruce Springsteen fan, and one of my current favorite television shows is "Spectacle: Elvis Costello With..." a sort of "Inside the Actors Studio" for the music-obsessed, featuring discussion of the art and craft of songwriting and musicianship, enhanced by live performances.

Sadly, Costello has stated that he won't be continuing the show after the conclusion of this, the second season.

Fortunately, he managed to snag Mr. Springsteen for a marathon four-hour taping that will air as the show's two-part, two-hour series finale, this Wednesday and next, January 20 and 27, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on the Sundance Channel.

Sundance has made three clips available in advance. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble embedding them, so click here to view them at the "Spectacle" site.

Everybody's a Critic, Part II: Favorite Music (Albums) of 2009

2010-01-10T21:09:00.000-08:00

2009 was a slightly confounding yet still exciting time for me when it came to music. First off, four of my favorite artists of all time – Bruce Springsteen, U2, Pearl Jam and Bob Dylan – put out new records this year (Dylan even released two!), and while they all contain thrilling elements that remind me of why I’ve been obsessed with them for the better part of my life, only one of them managed to rank among my top favorites as I look back at the last 12 months.

On the other hand, one of the records I listened to most this year was issued by a band whose previous work I’d been aware of but hadn’t really heard, and three – count ’em, three – of the releases that had the most impact for me were from artists I had never even heard of back in January, so that rush of being overwhelmed by something new was truly a welcome surprise.

On that topic of discovery, just a quick note here to thank those many people who have given me the priceless gift of their recommendations of music, films, books, art, TV series and more over the years.

I still firmly believe in the old-fashioned notion that a transcendent artistic achievement has the power to change a person’s life, and what could be more generous than sharing something that may do just that?

So, with that out of the way, here is the brief list of my favorite albums of 2009 – the furious five.

* The House That Dirt Built by The Heavy: A couple of friends – both from the Philadelphia area, coincidentally – tipped me off to this record at some point in December, and of this writing, I don’t think a day has gone by where I haven’t played it multiple times. Like last year’s Furr, by Blitzen Trapper, but even more so, The Heavy’s The House That Dirt Built is a dazzling assortment of tracks that easily jump from one musical genre to another yet are wholly of a piece and fit together snugly in a tight, 38-minute package that – for me – is the best complete record I heard all year.

Of course, before the kids in Philly mentioned it, I’d never even heard of this powerful UK band: Now, I can’t stop talking about them and this infectious collection.

The album proper starts with a bang, with the punky garage rocker “Oh No! Not You Again!” – featuring sexy backing vocals (“Baby, baby, want to play?” indeed!) – leading into the funky and blistering “How You Like Me Now?,” which sets its lead character’s attempts to reclaim a lost love (“Does that make you love me, baby?”) against a swaggering beat.

The jaunty “Sixteen” comes next, followed by the soulful “Short Change Hero,” which somehow seems to borrow from both Ennio Morricone and Groove Armada’s “Hands of Time” all at once, with vocals that wouldn’t sound out of place on a new Gnarls Barkley single. Undeniable.

“No Time” essentially sounds kinda like Soundgarden, with a horn section that wanders in halfway through (hint: a good thing), while “Long Way From Home” could be the most beautiful thing on the record.

Sure, maybe the reggae-infused “Cause for Alarm” was a bridge too far, but I give ’em credit for wearing their influences on their sleeves, and the fuzzy, propulsive“What You Want Me to Do?” more than makes up for it.

The House That Dirt Built closes with the plaintive “Stuck,” revisiting one of the album’s themes with the narrator once again trying to find emotional connection and a little human touch with someone just out of reach: “I don’t know if I can do it by myself … I’m stuck, ’til you make your mind up.”

All in all, a great album by a band from which I can’t wait to hear more.

* Tell 'Em What Your Name Is by Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears: At some point in early 2009, I started seeing posts on music blogs talking about a forthcoming debut record from an Austin, Texas–based group called Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears. The name struck me as funny and cool, but I didn’t really pay too much attention until one day, out of the blue, someone sent me the MP3 to the album’s second track, “Sugarfoot.” As will be evident by the end of these ramblings, I’m a sucker for a good horn part, and on this song, the horns had me at hello.

The album is just a joy to listen to, basically from start to finish, full of James Brown–esque old-school R&B–style grooves mashed up with a shambolic punk spirit. Imagine Sam Cooke being accompanied by Chuck Berry on guitar, the Funk Brothers and a garage band.

And the titles of some of the songs – “Big Booty Woman,” “Humpin’” and “Bobby Booshay” – just make me laugh by looking at them.

“Get Yo Sh*t” might be my favorite track, a shaggy dog tale if ever there was one, about Joe coming home to find all his possessions thrown on the front lawn by his rightfully scorned woman, whose name he can’t even bother to remember. Despite his protestations that “I love you baby!,” she isn’t having it.

These guys put on a fantastic live show, too. If they come to your town, don’t miss ’em.

* Animals in the Dark by William Elliott Whitmore: One day, out of the blue, a friend brought me a copy of this record, suggesting it might be something I might like. As usual, she was right, and I’ve been thanking her in my mind every day since.

If I told you that one of the best releases of 2009 was a contemporary folk disc which blended the populist topicality of Steve Earle with Billy Bragg’s fiery indignation and Bruce Springsteen’s humanity, sung by a guy that sounds like the Midwestern spawn of Tom Waits and Keb ’Mo (hat tip to another friend for the latter comparison), would that be something that would interest you? I would hope so.

I could write all day about Animals in the Dark, but I’ll spare you that except to note a few things.

Picks to click are the leadoff track, “Mutiny,” a fiery (and not safe for all workplaces) indictment of our leaders and their reckless stewardship of the country; “Johnny Law,” a rollicking tale of an encounter gone bad with the po-lice; and “Old Devils,” another examination of how the more things change, the more they stay the same (“They tell me there’s a war without no end, the old devils are at it again”). Hey HBO, "Old Devils" is the perfect theme song for your upcoming “Boardwalk Empire” series. Trust me.

Other standout tracks are “Hell or High Water” and “There’s Hope for You.”

But the outright gem is “Who Stole the Soul.” Now, it’s a running joke that I can’t go a day without somehow referencing Bruce Springsteen. Hell, I’ve already done it a few times in this post, and I’m going to do it again right here. In its earnest questioning, “Who Stole the Soul” confronts unchecked imperialism and directly criticizes the Constitution-bending we’ve witnessed over the last eight years in this country. When Whitmore sings that he won’t let go of “these things beyond value that we cherish so dear,” I was reminded of Springsteen’s “Long Walk Home” from the 2007 Magic album, specifically the line about the flag flying over the courthouse meaning that certain things were set in stone, like (1) who we are as a country and (2) what we’ll do in the name of the land in which we live, but (3) more importantly, standing for the things we won’t do in its name – immoral torture, illegal occupation, unjustified military intervention, etc.

At the end of “Who Stole the Soul,” the narrator has seemingly had a breakthrough, happy to proclaim that he’s “got back the spark from inside of me” and urging listeners to hear the shuffle of his dancin’ feet. That determination to meet challenges head-on reminded me of that simple verse in “Racing in the Street” from Darkness on the Edge of Town, about how some guys give up living and start dying little by little, piece by piece, while others come home from work, wash up and go racing in the street. Inspiration comes from mysterious places sometimes.

Anyway, Animals in the Dark by William Elliott Whitmore – highly recommended.

* 1372 Overton Park by Lucero: For years, many of my friends have tried to impress upon me how fantastic a band Lucero is. The testimony came from pals everywhere, whether it was D.C. (yes, Anderson and Company, I’m looking at you), New York, the great state of New Jersey or the locals here in L.A.

Try as I might, I found myself basically appreciating their previous work, but never falling head over heels for it until the day back in August when a friend, Jack, sent along a link to stream the audio of their new single, “The Devil and Maggie Chascarillo.” I think it took about 30 seconds for me to determine this was my favorite track of the year: those horns, that jagged voice, the infectious rock and soul vibe!

I waited – exceedingly impatiently – for the complete album to arrive, and when it did, it was chock full of unexpected treasures, from “Smoke” to “What Are You Willing to Lose,” “Sounds of the City,” “Sixes and Sevens” and more.

Having stupidly missed seeing them not once but twice in two different tiny Southern California venues last year, I hope against hope that they’ll swing back through here again this year.

So, Lucero, my apologies for not having been on the train earlier, but late to the party is better than not showing up at all, right?

* Backspacer by Pearl Jam: The fellas come out swinging on their latest record, with three crushing, guitar-driven rockers – “Gonna See My Friend,” “Got Some” and “The Fixer” – right out of the gate that reminded me of why they’re one of the best bands on the planet.

Now, the record admittedly doesn’t keep that pace throughout, and the collection of songs doesn’t rise to the level of the band’s seminal efforts of years past, but – to me – Backspacer is still a standout piece of musical work for 2009, relative to other releases of the past 12 months.

“When something’s loooooost, I want to fight to get it back again.”

To be continued ... with favorite individual songs of 2009, featuring some of the above plus The Airborne Toxic Event, The Avett Brothers, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band, The Dead Weather, Doves, Elvis Costello, Girls, Glasvegas, Green Day, Justin Townes Earle, M. Ward, Muse, My Chemical Romance, Rhett Miller, Ryan Bingham, She & Him, U2, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wilco and The XX.

Until then...

Everybody's a Critic, Part I: Favorite TV Shows of the Decade

2010-01-07T23:06:00.000-08:00

It’s been quite a while since I’ve updated this blog, but I resolve to post more often in 2010. So, since everyone else I know is posting best-of the year and/or decade lists, what better way to start off the new year than with one of my own.

Proving that everybody’s a critic, here is one TV flack’s list of favorite television shows of 2000–2009. (Note: I admit to not having watched Battlestar Galactica, which I hope to remedy via Netflix some day, so it will not appear on this list.)

10C. Extras: Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant’s brilliant satire of the television business lasted a mere two short seasons, but what a glorious two seasons they were. The series finale, a movie-length episode in which Gervais’s Andy Millman – by now a successful television actor who has compromised his integrity for fame and fortune – appears on a celebrity edition of Big Brother is an absolute classic, and a stinging indictment of the wasteland that current popular culture has become.

10B. The Big Bang Theory: Sure, it’s only in its third season (and I’ll take the knock for studio bias), but I think this is much funnier than the uneven 30 Rock and The Office, with Jim Parsons’ work here every bit the equal of Alec Baldwin’s while eclipsing Steve Carell.

10A. Lost: Ambitious network TV at its finest. At a certain point, I gave up trying to figure out the overarching mythology and just watched the show like you would watch the Law & Order or CSI series, or any other non-serialized show, by just sitting back and enjoying the ride of that particular hour. Some characters can be annoying, and the producers’ seeming insistence on simply adding more mystery can be a bit tough to deal with when we just want answers!, but I cannot wait for the final season upcoming.

9. Freaks and Geeks: Two-thirds of its 18 episodes aired in 2000, so I deem this eligible. What a perfect gem of a show. Judd Apatow and company were years ahead of their time.

8. Brotherhood: Showtime’s criminally underrated drama about a Rhode Island state assemblyman, his family and his mobbed-up brother lasted only three seasons, but it combined some of the best elements of The Sopranos with the political elements of The Wire and provided a weekly showcase for powerhouse performances by Australian Jason Clarke and Englishman Jason Isaacs as two Irish brothers in Providence.

7. Sons of Anarchy: Another relative youngster, with just two seasons under its belt, this action-drama about an outlaw motorcycle club became can’t-miss TV in its just-concluded second year on the air. Ron Perlman and Katey Sagal turn in career-defining work on a weekly basis as the patriarch and matriarch of the SAMCRO club; Maggie Siff (Mad Men) is brilliant as a conflicted doctor; and Charlie Hunnam (of Judd Apatow’s brilliant but canceled Undeclared and the UK version of Queer as Folk), as the headstrong heir-apparent has firmly established himself as one of the best actors working on TV today.

6. The West Wing: Aaron Sorkin and his collaborators proved that TV could not only entertain but could also inspire and enlighten … and, in fact, should do those things. Sure, it may have played as a bit of liberal fantasy and the idealism was unabashed, but so was the drama.

5. Mad Men: One of the great things about film, TV, music, books and all forms of art is that they take you places you might never have been. Watching this singular drama is like opening up a time capsule from the 1960s, but the show’s style is only exceeded by its substance, a finely crafted piece of entertainment, family and workplace drama, social commentary and more, with an iconic performance for the ages by Jon Hamm as ad man Don Draper.

4. The Sopranos: After Homicide: Life on the Street, it looked like drama might be dead. But no! David Chase and his writers gave James Gandolfini, Edie Falco and the rest the tremendous cast the opportunity of their lifetimes, and the assembled company of artists delivered one of the most influential programs in the history of the medium. Marred by some inconsistency in the middle seasons, the show still stands tall in the pantheon of dramatic television, the signature series by which all future entrants in the genre are judged.

3. The Shield: Not many people could reliably say that when they heard that Michael Chiklis (then late of Daddio and previously The Commish) would be starring as the head of an elite L.A.P.D. strike team in a new drama on a then-middling cable network, that the program would eventually turn television upside down, winning the first-ever acting Emmy for a basic cable show and redefining the cop genre for the decade. But it all happened.

2. Deadwood: Ian McShane turned Sunday nights into his own personal master class in acting for three sublime seasons, inhabiting the character of Al Swearengen in a way unrivaled by anyone on TV not named James Gandolfini or Andre Braugher. The fact that he never won an Emmy® for this peerless work – or the absurdity that he was only nominated once! – constitutes a crime against creativity. And any show that has the good grace to end its run with Bruce Springsteen's O Mary, Don't You Weep playing over the closing credits is OK by me.

1. The Wire: I’m not sure I’ll be able to articulate anything here that hasn’t already been said by hundreds of professional television writers and critics far more eloquent than I, but allow me to assure you that they all speak the truth. For five seasons, this show chronicled the decline of an American industrial city, as seen through the prism of the impact the war on drugs, the diminution of the value of work, political dysfunction, the failed school system and an indifferent media had on the denizens of Baltimore, Maryland. This claim may strike some as outlandish, but I think the five chapters of this cinematic story represent the most accomplished scripted achievement in the history of American television. Season four, which addressed the role public schools play in the life of a community and focused on the disparate lives of four young boys, simply represents the best thing I’ve ever seen, epic in scope, heartbreaking in the telling, and unforgettable. I cannot wait to see Treme, the upcoming new HBO series from The Wire creator David Simon and company.

Box Office Contest Update: Nothing New to Report Edition

2009-08-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

Stu’s victory lap continues, as “Inglourious Basterds” scalped another $20 million to bring its 10-day cume to just under $74 million, according to estimates from Box Office Mojo.

Next week marks the official end date of the contest, with results through the Monday of Labor Day weekend.

In addition to issuing the final tallies next Monday, we’ll also be taking a “coulda,” “shoulda,” “woulda” look at our game, in which we revisit the draft with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight and see how things would have worked out had we correctly drafted the 32 highest-grossing films of the summer in the proper order.

In the meantime, here are the totals through August 30:

Stu (eight films): $1.28 billion
John (eight films): $829 million
Robert (eight films): $758 million
Dave (eight films): $682 million

Click here for our complete picks and release dates.

Box Office Contest Update: Basterds Edition

2009-08-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

With this week’s release of “Inglourious Basterds” and “Shorts,” all four of the competitors in this summer’s box office contest have all eight of their movies in play.

Quentin Tarantino’s return to form grossed $37 million this weekend: The basterds were quite glorious and just added icing to the cake of Stu’s runaway victory.

“Shorts” came up … yes … short for John, but he’ll finish second for the summer.

Totals through August 23:

Stu (eight films): $1.24 billion
John (eight films): $800.8 million
Robert (eight films): $743.3 million
Dave (eight films): $677.8 million

Click here for our complete picks and release dates.

Box Office Contest Update: Got My Computer Back Edition

2009-08-09T22:29:00.000-07:00

Before we get started, consider this a public service announcement and a plea: If it is playing in your town, please go see the indie film “In the Loop,” which is an absolute must-see for anyone interested in smart comedy … but especially so if you like the intersection between politics and the media.

Imagine a comic version of “The West Wing,” albeit with completely venal characters, boasting an absolute live-wire performance by Scottish actor Peter Capaldi as a beautifully profane, irascible and manipulative head of communications for an unseen Prime Minister as Britain and the U.S. contemplate joining together to go to war.

Trust me, it’s brilliant.

OK, back to the box office.

Due to a computer issue befalling the Bellingham View (new hard drive needed for the laptop), we haven’t had a box office update in a while.

Which is probably for the best, considering the pathetic “performance” that John, Dave and I have turned in.

None of us has passed the $700 million mark yet with our combined releases, while Stu is closing in on $1.2 billion with yet another film – “Inglourious Basterds” – still to be released.

So, this isn’t really an update, per se, but more of a simple acknowledgement that the contest continues … although our hopes don’t.

Totals through August 9:

Stu (seven films): $1.18 billion
Robert (eight films): $693 million
John (seven films): $687 million
Dave (seven films): $660 million

Click here for our complete picks and release dates.

Box Office Contest Update: Hogwarts Edition

2009-07-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

To John’s delight (and that of Warner Bros. employees), “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” opened huge this week, setting a box-office record with more than $22 million from midnight showings on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and then adding another $79.5 million over the weekend for a five-day cume of $159.7 million, according to estimates from Box Office Mojo.

His “Ice Age” is holding up strong, adding another $17.7 million this weekend for a total of $152 million.

John is convinced this means that the game is still on and that he has a chance to stop Stu’s inevitable march to victory. I disagree, but since he has three more movies still to be released, we’ll wait patiently.

“Bruno” plunged -73% from last weekend for a three-day take of $8.4 million and a total of $49.6 million=unhappy numbers for me.

Stu continues to ride high, with “Transformers,” “The Hangover” and “The Proposal” still in the top six this week.

“Public Enemies” has snatched up $79 million, making it Michael Mann’s second-highest-grossing film ever, behind only “Collateral.” That’s good news for Mann and Universal, but not good enough for Dave in this summer’s contest.

Next week: John’s hopes ride on Jerry Bruckheimer’s “G Force,” while Dave plays out the string with the release of “The Ugly Truth,” starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler.

Totals through July 19:

Stu (seven films): $1.1 billion
Robert (six films): $613 million
Dave (seven films): $563 million
John (five films): $389 million

Reminder: If it’s playing in your town, go see “The Hurt Locker.”

Click here for our complete picks and release dates.

Box Office Contest Update: Movie I Wish You Would See Edition

2009-07-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

Before we get to this week’s results, please allow me this one public service announcement: Go see “The Hurt Locker,” one of the best and most intense movies of 2009.

OK, with that out of the way, this week brought the release of “Bruno” for me and “I Love You, Beth Cooper” for John.

“Bruno” opened strong with a $14 million Friday, according to estimates compiled by Box Office Mojo, but then dropped -39% for a weak Saturday of $8.8 million leading to an opening frame of $30.2 million.

No one loved “Beth Cooper,” with the Fox comedy matriculating only to $5 million in its opening weekend. In better news for John, “Ice Age” froze another $28.5 million in box office cash this weekend, leading to a 12-day cume of $120.6 million.

Dave’s “Public Enemies” held up OK, grifting another $14 million this weekend for a total of $66.5 million.

But all this is largely irrelevant, given that Stu has run away with this summer’s contest. His “Transformers” is now up to $339 million, “The Hangover” is at $222 million, and three of his other picks have passed the $100 million mark, including "The Proposal," which continues to earn. He has over $1 billion in the can.

As a noted basketball announcer used to say, this one’s in the refrigerator. The door’s closed, the lights are out, the eggs are cooling, the butter’s getting hard and the jello’s jiggling.

John holds out hope because next Wednesday marks the arrival of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” but it’ll take more wizardry than Hogwarts could ever conjure up to stop the Levine express.

Totals through July 12:

Stu (seven films): $1 billion
Robert (six films): $587 million
Dave (seven films): $541 million
John (three films): $192 million

Click here for our complete picks and release dates.

Box Office Contest Update: Independence Day Edition

2009-07-05T21:43:00.000-07:00

“Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” and “Public Enemies” opened on Wednesday of last week, joining holdover “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” to light up the July 4 weekend box office, according to estimates reported by Box Office Mojo.

For John, the “Ice Age” five-day debut of $67.5 million is a solid, if unspectacular, opening, putting it slightly behind the three-day total for “Up” and a few million behind the five-day for the second “Ice Age” film.

John will need the dinosaurs to roam far and wide if he has any chance of catching Stu, whose “Transformers” twisted up another $42.5 million in its second weekend for a 12-day cume of $293.5 million.

Dave’s “Public Enemies” shook down the box office to the tune of $41 million over five days. Sure, this is nothing compared to the dollars thrown off by Johnny Depp’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies or Christian Bale’s “Batman” pictures, but this has to be considered good commercial news, given the Michael Mann film’s decidedly mixed reviews, R rating and period setting.

Next week: “Bruno” is unleashed for me, and “I Love You, Beth Cooper” tests John’s theory that a legion of guys (pubescent and otherwise) are believing the tease that star Hayden Panettiere drops trou and that will translate into box office gold. We’ll see!

Totals through July 5:

Stu (seven films): $952.8 million
Robert (five films): $546.2 million
Dave (seven films): $500 million
John (three films): $130.9 million

Click here for our complete picks and release dates.

Box Office Contest Update: Twisting Cars Edition

2009-06-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

As expected, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” has dominated the U.S. box office and our summer contest since its debut on Wednesday, according to information provided by Box Office Mojo.

After five days, the monstrosity has assaulted audiences to the tune of $201.2 million for Stu, who claimed the top three films this week, with “The Proposal” finding another $18.5 million (off only -45%) for a total of $69 million, and “The Hangover” going for the hair of the dog and adding another $17.2 million for a cume of $183 million to date.

Dave’s two new entries were “My Sister’s Keeper” and “Cheri.” The former opened at $12 million, while the latter picked up $408,000 in limited release. I think we can safely say that Dave will not win the pool this year. It’s the end of an era.

John’s “Year One” and “Dance Flick” have combined for $57 million. He’s waiting impatiently for his big dogs – “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” – to start hunting.

“Up” added another $13 million this weekend for me, bringing its cume to $250 million. I’m going to need huge numbers from all my remaining movies to have any shot at even being close.

Next week brings “Ice Age” for John and Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies” – a must-see film in the Bellingham View household – for Dave.

Totals through June 28:

Stu (seven films): $606.6 million
Robert (five films): $530.2 million
Dave (six films): $434.9 million
John (two films): $57.4 million

Click here for our complete picks and release dates.

Box Office Contest Update: The Return of Sandra Bullock

2009-06-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

“The Proposal” debuted this week at #1 for Stu, with the Sandra Bullock/Ryan Reynolds–starring comedy romancing its way to $34.1 million after three days, according to information from Box Office Mojo. This marks the biggest opening weekend ever for a Sandra Bullock film.

John’s second film to open, the Jack Black/Michael Cera–starring “Year One,” debuted at $20.1 million.

“The Hangover” party continues unabated, with the film dropping only -18% this week to add another $26.9 million for a cume of $153 million. Stu and Warner Bros. employees rejoice.

Disney/Pixar’s “Up” continues to fly, adding another $21.3 million toward my cause this weekend for a cume of $224 million.

The “Pelham” remake was off -52% for a second-frame haul of $11.3 million and a 10-day cume of $43.3 million. Probably not what Dave was looking for.

Next week, Stu appears poised to unleash hell on this year’s contest with Paramount’s release of DreamWorks Pictures’ “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”

Dave took the counter-programming route with Warner Bros. Pictures’ “My Sister’s Keeper” and the Miramax release “Cheri,” directed by the criminally underrated Stephen Frears and starring Michelle Pfeiffer.

Totals to date:

Stu (six films): $526.1 million
Robert (five films): $501.6 million
David (four films): $403.2 million
John (two films): $44.9 million

Click here for our complete picks and release dates.

Beautiful Game Turns Ugly

2009-06-21T14:44:00.000-07:00

The Confederations Cup rolled into its second weekend today with stunning results.

But before we get to that, let’s salute Spain and its 2-0 victory over South Africa yesterday, in which La Selección set a FIFA record for 15 consecutive wins in official competitions and tied Brazil’s streak of 35 matches in a row without a loss.

Now, for today’s positively absurd results.

Italy went into today’s match vs. Brazil needing to beat the South American giants and then get some help to advance to the semifinals. If they beat Brazil outright, a U.S. win over Egypt would likely put them through, depending on the goal situation. Failing that, they needed to hold Brazil to a draw and then hope that the U.S. beat Egypt 1-0.

Egpyt could advance by beating the U.S.

The only possible way the U.S. could advance would be by destroying Egpyt and having Italy be trounced by Brazil.

You know where this is headed.

After an initial 10 or 15 minutes in which they had a few scoring chances and looked aggressive, Italy then proceeded to fall apart completely, in a debacle reminiscent of the fast-breaking counter-attack whipping they suffered at the hands of The Netherlands in last summer’s Euro 08.

Brazil ran rampant toward the end of the first half, sprinting up and down the pitch to earn three goals in a 10-minute span, including two by now-ubiquitous striker Luis Fabiano and an own-goal by Andrea Dossena that, to be fair, would’ve easily been converted by Brazil for the third had the defender not accidentally pushed it past keeper Gianluigi Buffon.

Neither side could score in the second half, with Brazil coasting to a 3-0 victory and nine points from three wins to take Group B.

Now, Italy would have to hope the hapless U.S. -- which had lost to Italy and then been eviscerated by Brazil -- could somehow find some heart and beat Egypt in a low-scoring match.

But, no, Egypt went right into the tank, improbably losing 3-0 to the Stars and Stripes, leaving Italy, Egpyt and the U.S. all tied with three points.

Both Italy and the U.S. had goal differentials of -2, eliminating Egypt (-3) in the first tiebreaker.

The second tiebreaker – goals scored – favored the U.S., who’d managed to net four vs. Italy’s three, sending the Italians home and the U.S. into the semifinals where they’ll face Spain on Wednesday.

Good luck with that.

Día de los Padres

2009-06-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, incluing my own, the original Robert G. Pietranton, aka "Piet."

Best to all!

The Beautiful Game

2009-06-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

A year from now, the world’s attention will shift to South Africa for the FIFA World Cup 2010 Finals, the quadrennial assemblage of global soccer’s best national teams.

A year in advance, a smaller group of international squads have gathered there to compete in the Confederations Cup, a precursor to the big dance. Europe 2008 champions Spain, defending World Cup champions Italy, global soccer powerhouse Brazil and the United States have joined Egypt, Iraq, New Zealand and host country South Africa for the two-week tournament that began yesterday.

And what a tournament it has been so far! Spain picked up right where they left off in dominating Euro 08 with a 5-0 thrashing of New Zealand yesterday, behind a hat trick within the first 15 minutes of play by striker Fernando Torres.

Today brought a barn-burner between Brazil and Egpyt, a seven-goal seesaw thriller that the South American giants were fortunate to win 4-3 on an injury time penalty kick by former world footballer of the year Kaka, he of the recent enormous transfer from Bellingham View faves AC Milan to the mercenary Real Madrid.

Following Brazil’s great escape was Italy vs. the United States. The Americans took a 1-0 lead on a penalty conversion by Landon Donovan, but playing with 10 men after an early red card proved to be too high a mountain to climb for the U.S. They were ultimately outlasted and outclassed by the Azzurri, who won 3-1 behind two terrific goals by the young Giuseppe Rossi who, ironically, was born in the U.S. (“In Clifton, New Jersey, which wasn’t a crime at that time”) to Italian immigrant parents and later chose to play for Italy over his birth country.

Can't wait for more great matches.

Side note to Italy: Immediately burn those hideous alternate kits worn in today's match. Unless there's something I've missed completely, with the U.S. in all white, Italy could easily have worn its blue shirt-blue shorts-blue socks ensemble and not clashed with their opponents. Today's disaster -- think a duller version of Carolina blue for the shirts and a duller version of a Cleveland Browns football jersey color for the shorts and socks -- was atrocious.

Return of The Lake Show

2009-06-14T23:19:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Lakers won the 2009 NBA championship tonight in Orlando, beating the Magic 99-86 to win the series 4-1.

It's the 15th championship for the Lakers franchise, 10th overall for Coach Phil Jackson and fourth for Finals MVP Kobe Bryant and clutch point guard Derek Fisher.

Of course, some L.A. fans haven't figured out how to deal with prosperity.

Box Office Contest Update: NYC Subway Edition

2009-06-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

This week brought the release of “The Taking of Pelham 123” for Dave and “Imagine That” for Stu.

The “Pelham” remake, starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta, made off with $25 million in its opening frame for Dave, according to estimates from Box Office Mojo.

Eddie Murphy’s second consecutive disaster, “Imagine That,” opened to $5.7 million for Stu, shades of last summer’s “Meet Dave” fiasco that I endured.

Of the holdovers, “The Hangover” continues to party, dropping only -26% in its second weekend for a 10-day cume of $105.4 million, which is great news for Stu in our contest and for Warner Bros. Pictures in general (and, by extension as a Warner Bros. Entertainment employee, for me!).

“Up” is also holding strong, down only -31% in its third weekend for a rising cume of $187 million, putting it within reach of becoming Pixar’s second-highest domestic grosser ever, behind only “Finding Nemo.” For my sake in this contest, let’s hope so.

“Star Trek” crossed the $230 million mark for Dave.

John’s only movie in theaters, “Dance Flick,” has waltzed slowly to $24 million to date.

Next week, Stu’s hopes ride on the Sandra Bullock-Ryan Reynolds romantic comedy “The Proposal,” while John finally has a second horse to ride: Jack Black and Michael Cera starring in the ultimate origin story, “Year One.” Good luck with that!

Totals to date:

Robert (five films): $457 million
Stu (five films): $412.8 million
David (four films): $371.7 million
John (one film): $24.2 million

Click here for our complete picks and release dates.

Box Office Update: "Hangover" Edition

2009-06-07T14:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend marked the release of two films for Stu and one for me.

Mr. Levine's fourth pick, the "Land of the Lost" remake starring Will Ferrell, limped home with $19.5 million since Friday, while his fifth selection -- Warner Bros. Pictures' "The Hangover" -- looks like the sleeper hit of the summer, road-tripping its way to a three-day opening frame of $43.3 million and placing second for the weekend.

However, both releases were "Up"-staged by my Disney-Pixar toon, which flew to a $44 million weekend and saw its cume balloon to $137 million after 10 days.

My eighth pick, the counter-programmer "My Life in Ruins," proved ruinous indeed, grossing a measly $3.2 million.

Of other holdovers, Stu's "Angels & Demons" is up to $116 million while the "Night at the Museum" sequel has raised $127 million.

My "Wolverine" is at $174 million, "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" is just shy of $54 million, and "Drag Me to Hell" is at $28.5 million.

For Dave, "Star Trek" has gone to $223 million, "Terminator Salvation" is at $105 million, and "Management" is at $834,000, give or take a few pennies.

John still has only had one movie open, and "Dance Flick" is resting at $22.7 million.

Next week: Eddie Murphy tries to persuade audiences to "Imagine That" for Stu, while Dave rests his hopes on the remake of "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta.

Totals through June 7:

* Robert (five films): $392 million

* Dave (three films): $329 million

* Stu (four films): $306 million

* John (one film): $22.7 million

Click here for a complete list of our films and release dates.

The New Math: 24 = 40 + 8 + 8 = 1-0

2009-06-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

Kobe Bryant goes for 40 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as the Lakers blew out the Orlando Magic 100-75 in game one of the 2009 NBA Finals.

Game two on Sunday night.

Drag Me Up to Hell: Movie Box Office Contest Update

2009-05-31T17:50:00.000-07:00

For those of you following the 2009 Summer Movie Box Office Contest, this weekend brought the release of Disney/Pixar's "Up" and Sam Raimi's "Drag Me to Hell," which happened to be my second and seventh picks, respectively.

"Up" soared to $68.2 million, according to estimates provided by Box Office Mojo, which makes it the third-highest Pixar opening ever, behind "The Incredibles," which opened at $70.5 million in November 2004 and fought on to gross $261 million, and "Finding Nemo," which opened at $70.3 million in May 2003 and swam all the way to a domestic catch of $340 million.

In order for me to have any chance to win, I need "Up" to take on a decidedly "Nemo" trajectory, floating to north of $300 million.

"Drag Me to Hell" bowed with $16.6 million, which has to be viewed as a slight disappointment. A great trailer and some incredibly positive reviews had me hoping this one would crack the $20 million mark and be a nice, summer sleeper that would benefit from positive word of mouth and scare up close to $100 million before the end of its run. It still might prove to be leggy, but it could've used a bit of a better start.

Dave's "Star Trek" passed the $200 million mark, while "Terminator Salvation" is at $90.7 million.

Stu's sequels -- "Angels & Demons" and "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" -- both reached the $100 million mark.

John's lone entry so far, "Dance Flick," has earned just $19.2 million to date, after a $5 million weekend.

As for my earlier entries, "Wolverine" grossed an anemic $3.9 million (wow) in its fifth weekend, for a total of $170.9 million. "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" has romanced its way past the $50 million threshold with a $1.9 million weekend, but it doesn't look like that date will bear more fruit.

Next week brings Stu's fourth and fifth picks -- "Land of the Lost" and Warner Bros.' "The Hangover" -- and my eighth pick, the Nia Vardalos-starrer "My Life in Ruins."

(Full disclosure: I chose it with my last selection, hoping to scoop up some counter-programming dollars from women dying to see anything but the other two male-skewing comedies being released. In my dreams, I told myself I'd be thrilled if it grossed a third of Vardalos' "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," which would be $80 million or so. Then, I saw the trailer. Fat chance of that happening. I'll settle for $30 million at this point.)

Totals through May 31:

* Rob (four films): $305.7 million

* Dave (three films): $300.9 million

* Stu (two films): $209.5 million

* John (one film): $19.2 million

Click here for our complete list of picks and release dates.

Back to the Museum

2009-05-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

Ben Stiller and director Shawn Levy rounded up a bunch of friends and $150 million or so of 20th Century Fox's money and delivered "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" to an apparently eagerly waiting marketplace, grossing $53.5 million through Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, according to estimates from Box Office Mojo, giving Stu a nice opening for his second pick in this summer's box office contest.

Stu's "Angels & Demons" also picked up another $21 million, for a cume of $81.5 million.

Dave's second pick of the summer was "Terminator Salvation," and director McG's teamup with Christian Bale has grossed an estimated $56.4 million through Sunday, after opening on Thursday (with Wednesday midnight previews).

Dave's "Star Trek" added another $22 million this weekend, for a cume of $183.6 million. The less said about "Management" the better.

John's eighth pick -- "Dance Flick" -- failed to find an audience, opening at a stillborn $11.1 million through Sunday.

For my part, "Wolverine" has $163 million in the bank, and "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" is now up to $45.9 million.

Next week brings Pixar's "Up" and Sam Raimi's "Drag Me to Hell," both of which are my picks. So, I look forward to a nice weekend ahead.

Totals through May 24:

Dave (three films): $240.5 million

Robert (two films): $208.9 million

Stu (two films): $135 million

John (one film): $11 million

Click here for our complete list of picks and release dates.

Memorial Day

2009-05-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

"I wish we could dedicate Memorial Day, not to the memory of those who have died at war, but to the idea of saving the lives of the young people who are going to die in the future if we don’t find some new way -- some new religion maybe -- that takes war out of our lives.

"That would be a Memorial Day worth celebrating." -- Andy Rooney

Watch the complete video here or read the full text here.

Bring 'em home.

Sick

2009-05-23T00:31:00.000-07:00

LeBron James nails the game-winning three to even the Eastern Conference Finals series at 1-1 vs. the Orlando Magic.

Sick.

The Camerlengo Cometh: Summer Movie Box Office Contest Update

2009-05-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

Director Ron Howard and Tom Hanks returned to the scene of Biblical European crimes this weekend with Ewan McGregor along for the ride as Il Camerlengo (chamberlain to the Pope) in "Angels and Demons," grossing $48 million, topping the U.S. box office and -- most importantly -- getting Stu on the board in this summer's box office contest.

"Star Trek" continues to live long and prosper for Dave, holding up admirably to add another $43 to its already impressive haul for a 10-day cume of $147.6 million.

Unfortunately for Mr. Shaw, his eighth pick, the Jennifer Aniston/Steve Zahn-starrer "Management," opened on just over 200 screens for an anemic $378,000. If Dave's going to win for the third year in a row, he'll be doing it without the help of "Management."

As far as my selections are concerned, "Wolverine" clawed together another nearly $15 million for a total of $151 million, while "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" added nearly $7 million for a cume of $40 million.

Next week brings the highly anticipated "Terminator Salvation" for Dave and "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" for Stu, while John gets off the schneid and into the game with the release of his eighth choice, "Dance Flick."

Totals thru May 17:

Robert (two films): $191 million
Dave (two films): $148 million
Stu (one film): $48 million
John: N/A

Check here for our complete picks and release dates.

"Trek" Beams Up Cash

2009-05-10T19:01:00.000-07:00

In the second weekend of this summer's box office contest, Dave's first pick, "Star Trek," went where no release in the franchise had ever gone, grossing an estimated $76.5 million for the frame, including Thursday night previews, according to Box Office Mojo.

"Wolverine" dropped a ghastly -68% but still added an estimated $27 million to bring its cume to $129.6 million for me.

And my sixth pick, "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," punched $10.5 million worth of tickets -- off -32% -- for a two-weekend total of $30.2 million.

Next week will belong to Stu with the opening of "Angels & Demons," while Dave hopes for a few million bucks from the indie romantic comedy "Management," starring Jennifer Aniston, Steve Zahn and Woody Harrelson.

Totals through May 10:

Robert (two films): $159.9 million
Dave (one film): $72.5 million
John: N/A
Stu: N/A

Check here for a list of our picks and release dates.

Jokester in Chief

2009-05-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

Tradition dictates that each year the President attend the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner and give a lighthearted, self-deprecating speech that also pokes fun at colleagues, political rivals and the media.

Some people think it's beneath the office.

I think it's entertaining, although every President manages to make a few jokes that will cause regret later.

Here's Obama's first shot at it from last night.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T10:10:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, including my own, Linda Ann Pietranton.

Best wishes to all!

The Color of (Movie) Money

2009-05-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

Every year, millions of people in the U.S. and around the world participate in "fantasy sports" games, banding together with similarly obsessed friends to draft and manage (or mismanage, in most cases) virtual teams in football (the U.S. and international kind), baseball, basketball and hockey. I suppose being able to say "I've got LeBron James!" or Manny Ramirez or Adrian Peterson or Cristiano Ronaldo can be exciting.

Naturally, I'm one of them, annually combining shoddy pre-season research with indecisive drafting and poor weekly management skills to basically make a disaster of my fantasy football and basketball experience. This year, for instance, I drafted New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady with my first pick in two different fantasy football leagues. When he went out in the first quarter of the first game of the year, my teams -- The Good Fellas -- were toast.

At the invitation of my friend John, this year marked the first time I have played in the English Premier League soccer contests. The rookie year is always the hardest, and I'm living proof, performing abysmally in both the fantasy team competition and in the "I Know the Score" weekly match prediction game.

I normally fare better in basketball. This year, I finished third out of 10 in the annual Peacock Players League, and I've actually won once this century, so I've got that going for me. Which is nice.

Of course, a couple friends of mine and I take things even further, and so, for the last several years, we've expanded onto the links, each drafting six professional golfers the day before the start of golf's four major championships. Tiger Woods at Bethpage for the U.S. Open seems like a good bet. Hope I draw the #1 pick.

But the sheer lunacy of this compulsion to compete in just about everything is expressed most fully in what is now the sixth annual Summer Movie Box Office Contest. Every April, my friends Stu and Dave and I "draft" eight movies in classic "snake" or "serpentine" fashion, and whichever person's collection of films has grossed the most as of the end of business on Labor Day wins $20 from each of the others, to be paid in person at a humiliating ceremonial lunch.

I only say it's humiliating because Stu and I have lost to Dave each of the last three years. And in one of those years, Dave beat us essentially with one hand tied behind his back, as one of his films didn't crack $20 million ... and yet another of his picks didn't end up even getting released after being bumped from the summer schedule. So, in all truth, he beat us with six movies. As I said, humiliating.

Anyway, our friend John heard us talking about the box office contest last year and innocently asked which one of us had picked "Step Brothers," starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. Of course, none of us had drafted it. I mean, who needed that movie (which eventually grossed $100 million) when we had "Meet Dave" (me), "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" (Dave) and "The Love Guru" (Stu) in our slates? Anyway, John -- smelling blood in the water and easy money -- immediately insisted on joining and he's the fourth in this year's contest. (And after hearing about our picks from this year, another good friend of mine is angling to be the fifth next year.)

Here are this year's picks and release dates. I had the first two movies to land in the contest -- "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" -- which combined to gross an estimated $102 million for the weekend (according to BoxOfficeMojo.com).

2009 SUMMER MOVIE BOX OFFICE CONTEST

MAY 1–SEPTEMBER 7

JOHN
1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
8. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
9. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
16. G-Force
17. Year One
24. Shorts
25. I Love You Beth Cooper
32. Dance Flick

Total through May 3 (estimate): N/A

STU
2. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
7. Angels & Demons
10. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
15. Land of the Lost
18. The Hangover
23. The Proposal
26. Inglorious Basterds
31. Imagine That

Total through May 3 (estimate): N/A

ROBERT
3. X-Men Origins: Wolverine: $87,000,000
6. Up
11. Bruno
14. Funny People
19. Julie & Julia
22. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past: $15,325,000
27. Drag Me to Hell
30. My Life in Ruins

Total through May 3 (estimate): $102.3 million

DAVID
4. Star Trek
5. Terminator Salvation
12. Public Enemies
13. The Taking of Pelham 123
20. The Ugly Truth
21. My Sister’s Keeper
28. Management
29. Cheri

Total through May 3 (estimate): N/A

RELEASE DATES

MAY 1
Ghost of Girlfriends Past (Bobby P.)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Bobby P.)

MAY 8
Star Trek (Dave)

MAY 15
Angels & Demons (Stu)
Management (Dave)

MAY 21
Terminator Salvation (Dave)

MAY 22
Dance Flick (John)
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Stu)

MAY 29
Drag Me to Hell (Bobby P.)
Up (Bobby P.)

JUNE 5
The Hangover (Stu)
Land of the Lost (Stu)
My Life in Ruins (Bobby P.)

JUNE 12
Imagine That (Stu)
The Taking of Pelham 123 (Dave)

JUNE 19
The Proposal (Stu)
Year One (John)

JUNE 24
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Stu)

JUNE 26
Cheri (Dave)
My Sister’s Keeper (Dave)

JULY 1
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (John)
Public Enemies (Dave)

JULY 10
Bruno (Bobby P.)
I Love You Beth Cooper (John)

JULY 15
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (John)

JULY 24
G-Force (John)
The Ugly Truth (Dave)

JULY 31
Funny People (Bobby P.)

AUGUST 7
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (John)
Julie & Julia (Bobby P.)

AUGUST 21
Inglorious Basterds (Stu)

Shorts (John) *

* UDPATE 6/14: "Shorts" moved from August 7 to 21.

More Mann

2009-04-13T22:38:00.000-07:00

The second trailer for Michael Mann's forthcoming film "Public Enemies" -- co-written by "Southland" executive producer Ann Biderman -- debuted last week.

Check it out above.

Counting the days until July 1.

Easter Sunday

2009-04-12T17:56:00.001-07:00

Buona pasqua, everybody!

Sixty-Six

2009-03-29T20:43:00.000-07:00

The more things change, the more they change the same.

It's late-March, so that can only mean one thing: It's time for Tiger Woods' annual victory at Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill tournament.

Last year, Woods won in dramatic fashion, sinking a clutch putt on the 18th hole to knock off Bart Bryant.

This year, in his third PGA Tour event after a lengthy layoff rehabbing from surgery following last June's U.S. Open to repair a major knee injury, it was deja-vu all over again.

Woods started the day five shots back of Sean O'Hair, but methodically tracked down the youngster and finished it off with a 15-foot putt that clinched his sixth win at Palmer's tournament and his 66th PGA Tour victory.

Next up: The Masters, in two weeks.

The First of July

2009-03-05T23:31:00.000-08:00

July 1 has special resonance in the Pietranton family, as it's the birthday of my brother, Ryan. This July 1, Ryan will turn 35, a milestone I can't believe we've reached.

I mean, wasn't it just yesterday that we were little kids growing up in Las Vegas, playing sports in the backyard or excitedly preparing for a summer vacation trip back East to see our grandparents and cousins?

Now, he's married, has a home of his own, and we live 300 miles apart. But I'll still look forward to celebrating his birthday in just under four months, whether we're actually together on the date or not.

This year, July 1 also brings another gem into the world: the release of Michael Mann's next movie, "Public Enemies." I'm not about to suggest that debut of a film rates as equally important as the birth of my little bro. But it's up there. (Just kidding, Ryan.)

That said, Michael Mann directing Johnny Depp and Christian Bale in a period drama about John Dillinger? Fughedaboudit. Expectations couldn't be higher.

Take a look at the trailer below. You be the judge.

The Top 10

2009-02-19T21:48:00.000-08:00

OK, my 10 favorite movies of 2008.

THE FRONT SEVEN (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

* Appaloosa: Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen play gunmen for hire in this Western that -- while not the equal of modern classics like David Milch's HBO series "Deadwood" and Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven" -- is one of the most accomplished films of 2008. Reunited after explosively facing off a few years back in David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence" (written by Josh Olson), Harris and Mortensen this time are on the same side of the law, two gunslingers that troubled frontier towns call upon to restore order when things get rough. In this case, "rough" is played by Jeremy Irons as the leader of a band of thugs. Confident direction by Harris, terrific guy chemistry between he and Mortensen, and an assured, leisurely pace are the hallmarks of this fine genre entry. Ignore the presence of Renee Zellweger.

* The Dark Knight: Director/co-writer Christopher Nolan is one of the most talented and tasteful filmmakers working today. Like a superstar basketball player who lights up the league as a rookie and then extends shooting range or develops a new go-to move before the start of each succeeding season, Nolan has improved on his dazzling feature debut ("Memento") with an increasing level of confidence and maturity over the four movies that followed, culminating in his 2008 masterpiece. He somehow managed to take on critically relevant political and social issues -- like the nature of democracy, free will, and how an allegedly enlightened and free society reacts to terrorism in its midst -- within the dramatic construct of a super hero movie. I'd love to see Nolan really sink his teeth into that subject matter in a direct fashion, as opposed to grafting it into the subtext of a live action comic. I can't wait for his next work.

* Doubt: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis star in John Patrick Shanley's bigscreen adaptation of his Pulitzer Prize-winning play. While it's true that Shanley's directorial skills won't leave Martin Scorsese or Sidney Lumet nervous about losing future work, the story remains strong, and the performances -- particularly Streep's powerhouse lead as a nun steadfast in her convictions about the propriety of a progressive priest's relationship with a young student -- are all top-notch.

* Frost/Nixon: As someone who (1) is a political junkie, (2) is a fan of origin stories, and (3) has worked in and around media all of his professional life, I couldn't have been more excited to see this picture. Throw in my admiration for the previous collaborations between writer Peter Morgan and actor Michael Sheen ("The Queen," "The Deal"), and it was tailor-made for me. That said, "Frost/Nixon" didn't end up being an all-time classic on the level of a "Network" or "All the President's Men," but it is a very solid, dramatic and surprisingly entertaining look at the battle of wills between a fairly lightweight British broadcaster and his idealistic production team vs. the disgraced ex-President, brought to life by the tour-de-force performance of Frank Langella.

* I've Loved You So Long: The stunning Kristin Scott-Thomas stars here as a woman released from prison after serving a lengthy sentence for a crime unknown, at the outset, to the audience. Over the course of two hours, this lovely film quietly and deliberately examines the way Juliette (Scott-Thomas) re-enters society; re-establishes a relationship with her sister, Lea (played by the terrific Elsa Zylberstein); and begins to rebuild her life.

* The Reader: A highly controversial Best Picture nominee at this year's Oscars, "The Reader" finds Kate Winslet once again reminding filmgoers why she is the best actor of her generation -- male or female -- and the rightful heiress to the acting throne upon which Meryl Streep sits. Critics have said this film trivializes the Holocaust and puts the audience in the unenviable position of trying to find sympathy for a perpetrator of the most heinous of acts. I declare the first charge laughable and reject the second charge as completely missing the point of the film, which is to show the crushing effect a passionate but confusing love affair has on the life of a German man (played by David Kross as a teen and Ralph Fiennes as an adult).

* The Visitor: I run out of superlatives when trying to describe the work Richard Jenkins delivers in this beautiful gem of a film about a widower college professor whose life is turned upside down when he finds two immigrants squatting in his New York City apartment. What happens next will challenge your preconceptions about life, love and politics while, hopefully, renewing your faith in humanity and decency. A must-see from writer/director Tom McCarthy ("The Station Agent"), who's also a pretty damn good actor ("The Wire," "Syriana").

THE TOP THREE

3. The Wrestler: Darren Aronofsky breathed life into the career of Mickey Rourke by fighting to cast him in this terrific film, and Rourke paid his director back in spades by delivering an instant classic performance that will go down as one of the strongest in the last 30 years. A heartbreaking look at people not often glimpsed in movies, living on the margins and just trying to survive and connect with others. Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood are outstanding in supporting roles, and Bruce Springsteen's original song of the same name is haunting and evocative. The biggest compliment I can give this movie is that it was like seeing some of the characters from Springsteen's "Darkness on the Edge of Town" or "Nebraska" albums come to life.

2. Tell No One: Released in 2006 in France and subsequently throughout Europe, the film finally bowed in the U.S. last July. It was definitely worth the wait. Based upon a novel by American writer Harlan Coben, "Tell No One" stars Francois Cluzet as Dr. Beck, a pediatrician whose idyllic life is shattered by the apparent murder of his wife and lifelong sweetheart, played by the stunning and talented French Canadian actress Marie-Josee Crozee, most recently seen in "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and probably best known as the seductive Dutch assassin in Steven Spielberg's "Munich." Eight years later, Beck's life is shattered again when he receives a mysterious e-mail that suggests his wife may not be dead after all. His best friend (and lesbian lover to his sister) -- played by the luminous Kristin Scott Thomas -- thinks he's crazy, the cops now think he killed his wife, and he's soon off on a desperate quest to uncover the truth.I'm probably not doing a good job of selling this, so just trust me: It's excellent. As Kenneth Turan said in his review in the Los Angeles Times, "Tell everyone about 'Tell No One.'"

1. Vicky Cristina Barcelona: Yes, I realize this movie has probably not appeared on the top 10 list of too many reputable critics in the United States. I could care less. Maybe it's a bit of male fantasy. Maybe it has some portrayals of female behavior that some might find eye-rolling. Maybe it has more voiceover narration than necessary. Maybe it's set in some impossible, chamber of commerce-approved postcard view of Barcelona. All those things may, in fact, be true, but those are issues someone else will have to deal with in a more objective manner.

For me, I'm still drunk with the transporting beauty of a film that starred Javier Bardem, Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz, and yet the most attractive person in it -- for this dude -- was the luminous Rebecca Hall, whom I hadn't remembered seeing onscreen before, although IMDB.com tells me she was in "The Prestige," which I most definitely saw. (She's subsequently co-starred in "Frost/Nixon.") Anyway, by all means, see "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."

Come for the laughs, stay for the volcanic livewire performance by Cruz that should earn her the Best Supporting Actress Oscar this Sunday. It's my favorite Woody Allen movie since, probably, "Bullets Over Broadway" in 1994.

The Year in Movies

2009-02-18T20:32:00.000-08:00

I saw more than 70 movies in theaters during 2008, and while I don't think the year was as good as 2007 (topped by "There Will Be Blood," "No Country for Old Men," "Eastern Promises," "Michael Clayton," "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" and more) or 2006 ("The Departed," "The Queen," "Pan's Labyrinth," "The Lives of Others," "Volver" and more), there were still plenty of films that I thought were "good" or enjoyable.

What was missing, for me, was that undeniable instant stone classic on a level of the films noted above.

So, with that faint praise, here is one dude's assessment of the year in film circa 2008.

WHAT'S UP, DOC?

I didn't see as many documentaries this year as normal, but here are three that I liked a lot:

* Young at Heart: Some call it manipulative, but for me, this beautiful, uplifting and riotously funny documentary about a Northampton, Mass. chorus of senior citizens who specialize in reinventing punk, soul and rock 'n' roll classics was one of the most enjoyable and emotionally rewarding visits to the movies I've had in years.

* U2 3D: I've always thought 3D was a gimmick and hadn't seen a film in the format since childhood, but with the lads cranking it up for the bigscreen, I figured it was a necessity. Sure, it's a bit overblown, but the creativity is undeniable, and just to see some of those incredible U2 songs on a five-story (or whatever it was) screen ... well, priceless.

* Religulous: Bill Maher thinks the religious are completely ridiculous, and while I don't agree with that ultimate assessment (lapsed Catholics are still Catholics, of course ), his very funny film offers up some compelling arguments to support it. If you can get past Maher's withering cynicism, there's some "there" there.

THE BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS

* Blindness: Director Fernando Meirelles directed one of my favorite movies of the last 20 years in "City of God," the incendiary, "GoodFellas"-like portrait of the lives of the residents of a Brazilian favela, and then followed that up with the geo-political dramatic thriller "The Constant Gardener," another fine effort. Unfortunately, the gifts that informed both of those films have not been employed to their best use here. His filmic essay on human nature that examines what happens to the denizens of a major metropolis when its residents startingly lose their ability to see is, sadly, not very illuminating.

* Che: I thought for sure that the reteaming of "Traffic" director Steven Soderbergh and actor Benicio Del Toro in a political drama about the infamous 20th century revolutionary would be a can't-miss examination of power, corruption and dreams thwarted that would transcend the biopic boundaries and provide a powerful allegory for our time. Uh, no. Somewhere in that two-part, 260-minute ambitious failure is an 180-minute masterpiece waiting to be unleashed.

THE HONORABLE MENTIONS (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

* The Bank Job: Actor Jason Statham has been in some good movies ("Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," "Snatch," and "The Italian Job," among others), but he's also been the only watchable thing in some real dogs, such as "Cellular," "Crank," "London" and others. This latest one looked like it might be another misfire, but to my sheer delight, it was a crackling heist/gangster saga in the vein of "Sexy Beast" and "Layer Cake," coupled with the intrigue of the best spy movies. In a happy upset, I fookin' luv'd it.

* Burn After Reading: My favorite Coen brothers movies ("Miller's Crossing," "No Country for Old Men," "The Big Lebowski," "Fargo," "O Brother Where Art Thou") tend to be their more dramatic efforts that infuse humor, as opposed to their more overt comedic efforts. People I've spoken to have flat-out hated this one, but I'm a fan of the performances by the volcanic John Malkovich, the icy Tilda Swinton, the rascally George Clooney, an earnestly sad Richard Jenkins and the bemused David Rasche and J.K. Simmons. I pretty much loathed the buffoonish performances the Coens apparently wanted from Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand, but -- hey -- it's their movie.

* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: My first comment upon leaving the theater was, "Wow. Beautiful." Upon further scrutiny, the flaws -- including Pitt's wooden performance, the oddly unaffecting framing device with Julia Ormond and an elderly Cate Blanchett, the overly sweet nature of everything, etc. -- become more apparent, but the sheer ambition of the work and the luminous Blanchett kept me interested. Note: It's perfectly possible to dislike "Forrest Gump," the film to which this is often compared, and like "Button."

* Forgetting Sarah Marshall: Comedies rarely get mentioned on best-of lists, and while this is no "Knocked Up" or "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," it does feature a terrific lead performance by Jason Segel (and a supporting role for his man-junk) and an unforgettable Dracula puppet show.

* In Bruges: Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson play hitmen hiding out in Bruges, Belgium, waiting for orders from profane mob boss Ralph Fiennes. That's pretty much it. They hang tight, waiting for word, yet manage to get into some serious shenanigans. Beware for the tonal shift from funny buddy comedy to bloody revenge drama.

* Rocknrolla: Guy Ritchie takes a lot of crap for having been Mr. Madonna, but he has a good hand for ensemble gangster flicks, and this represents a return to form of his early days of "Lock, Stock" and "Snatch." Bonus points for the great use of The Subways' "Rock & Roll Queen" and the casting of Idris Elba (Stringer Bell of "The Wire") in an excellent supporting roll.

* Slumdog Millionaire: I liked the energy and style that Danny Boyle -- an incredibly talented director who never repeats himself cinematically -- brought to the telling of this tale, but something about it rang too Capra-esque and "feel-good" in the end. The filmmakers seem to want to have their cake and eat it too: a tough, violent, unsparing film on the one hand, and a happy love story with a celebratory Bollywood dance number tacked on the end on the other hand. To me, it seemed a bit insincere. Critics have compared this to "City of God," my favorite movie of its release year and best movie I'd seen at that point since "GoodFellas," but in my eyes, the comparison is an insult to "City of God." But not a bad movie and undoubtedly a massive crowd-pleaser that seems a shoo-in to win the Best Picture Oscar on Sunday.

* Valkyrie: Get past Tom Cruise and the eye patch and settle in for a gripping thriller about one of the many unsuccessful plots to kill Hitler.

* W: Oliver Stone making a film about George W. Bush sounds like a recipe for disaster in some quarters, but I was salivating from the moment it was announced. Of course, Stone confounded extremist expectations by making a fairly nuanced portrait of the hapless 43 and the "brain trust" that surrounded him in his presidency. Some of the performances are caricature, and Stone's basic theme of the son trying to impress the father has been debunked by those loyal to Bush, but the movie worked for this political junkie. How beautiful is Elizabeth Banks?!

* Zack and Miri Make a Porno: It's not Kevin Smith's best movie, and the extremely slow start had me worried that it might be his worst, but then it kicked into gear after about 10 minutes and had me in stitches from then on. Craig Robinson is ridiculously funny as Rogen's buddy who finances the film. Again, how beautiful is Elizabeth Banks?!

Next up ... THE TOP TEN.

Stay tuned...

Let's Get It On: Free Music

2009-02-13T22:42:00.000-08:00

For those of you who celebrate Valentine's Day and want some musical accompaniment, Amazon.com is offering a free download of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday, aka Valentine's Day).

Follow this link for the free download.

If you happen to buy anything else on Amazon.com after getting there from that link, your purchase will trigger a charitable donation from my friend, Matt Orel, via Amazon.com's Associates program.

QT's War

2009-02-11T23:38:00.000-08:00

Quentin Tarantino burst onto the scene in the early 1990s with the one-two punch of "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction," two instant classics that heralded the arrival of an exciting new filmmaker with seemingly unlimited promise.

Combine those two masterworks with "Jackie Brown," Tarantino's wildly underrated late-'90s gem, as well as the Tony Scott-directed "True Romance" and the Robert Rodriguez-helmed "From Dusk Till Dawn," both written by Tarantino, and people were clearing room for the dude in the pantheon.

Then came the self-indulgent misfires: an uninteresting chapter in the omnibus lark "Four Rooms," the painful acting appearances, the six-year wait between feature films, the uneven "Kill Bill" and the talent-wasting "Grindhouse."

Hopes were raised last year when word emerged that Tarantino was back at work and that production was to begin imminently on his long-gestating World War II caper, "Inglorious Basterds."

Would it harken the return of the ambitious artistic genius who seemed destined to go down in history as one of America's most talented moviemakers?

Or would it be another exhibit to support the argument that Tarantino is paralyzed by his initial success and is hiding behind genre efforts because he's lost his fastball?

Obviously, I was hoping for the former. And if dreams came true, wouldn't that be nice.

But then the trailer to the film, starring Brad Pitt, debuted on the Internet today. You be the judge.

60 Minutes of Obama

2009-02-10T22:51:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama held his first primetime press conference last night (Monday, February 9), and what was refreshing about the hourlong event was that -- for the first time in eight years -- it wasn't a complete embarrassment watching the President of the United States speak in public.

ISO: Sixpack

2009-02-01T13:07:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl XLIII kicks off in just over two hours.

The good guys -- aka the Pittsburgh Steelers -- are shooting for a historic sixth Super Bowl championship.

Can they stop the high-powered Arizona Cardinals offensive attack?

Tune in.

And, oh yeah, don't miss the halftime entertainment. I hear they booked a good performer for that.

UPDATE: They won! Congratulations to the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers on winning their unprecedented sixth title. In an instant classic contest which featured an improbable 100-yard interception return by NFL defensive player of the year James Harrison, two touchdowns by all-world Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald and a rousing Arizona comeback directed by veteran quarterback Kurt Warner, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger topped them all by leading the Steelers down the field in a thrilling two-minute drive to win the game with a touchdown pass to eventual MVP Santonio Holmes with about 30 seconds left in the game. Simply amazing. And Springsteen was fooking awesome.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives

2009-01-24T19:22:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to offer up some thoughts about my favorite movies and music from 2008, but one thing after another got in the way, and here it is, almost February, and I'm just now getting around to try to do it.

So, today, it's music.

First up will be favorite albums of the year, to be followed (hopefully on Sunday) by favorite songs from albums that didn't appear on the list below.

Sadly, I don't get around to listening to enough new music every year to really make a "10 best" list with any legitimacy. And I often find that I love a track or two from most of the new albums that I do hear, but that the full thing doesn't hold up.

That said, there were a handful of albums that I did think worked as a whole (for the post part) and would constitute my "favorites" of 2008.

So, in no particular order, with my pick for the best of the year at the bottom:

* Asking for Flowers, by Kathleen Edwards: The Canadian Lucinda Williams returned in 2008 with 10 new tracks of alt-country genius and one half-clunker. "Run," "Oil Man's War" and "Alicia Ross," especially, are fantastic tracks.

* Conor Oberst, by Conor Oberst: Recording under his own name for the first time after releasing a number of critically acclaimed records under the moniker Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst is Conor Oberst's best album, or at least equal to the haunting Bright Eyes effort I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning. The first six songs on the record -- "Cape Canaveral," "Sausalito," "Get-Well-Cards," "Lenders in the Temple," "Danny Callahan" and "I Don't Want to Die in a Hospital" -- are terrific.

* Stay Positive, by The Hold Steady: It might not be as good as Boys and Girls in America, but seven out of 11 tracks are stellar, so that batting average will have to do. Standout picks to click: the title track, "Constructive Summer," "Sequestered in Memphis," "Slapped Actress" and "Joke About Jamaica."

* Only by the Night, by Kings of Leon: I haven't loved much of their recorded output before this, so I didn't have great expectations when this one arrived on my radar screen. So, I was pleasantly surprised to the point of being overjoyed when, after just one listen, I basically loved it. Essential tracks: All of them. Seriously. But my favorites are "Closer," "Sex on Fire," "Use Somebody," "Manhattan" and "Be Somebody."

* Tell Tale Signs, by Bob Dylan: OK, much of this isn't new material, but it's absolutely brilliant, nonetheless. Essential tracks: The beautiful piano demo version of "Dignity," two unreleased versions of his masterpiece "Mississippi" from 2001's Love and Theft, and "Red River Shore."

* Cardinology, by Ryan Adams: Although "side two" is a bit slow and meandering, the first seven songs struck me as a return to form reminiscent of Gold, his best solo work. Best track: "Magick."

* Rockferry, by Duffy: It took me a while, but I came to really like it. The title track, "Warwick Avenue" and the hit single, "Mercy," are not to be missed.

* Oracular Spectacular, by MGMT: Good, catchy, pop from a pair of snotty young punks. "Time to Pretend," "Weekend Wars," "The Youth," "Electric Feel" and "Kids" -- the first five songs on this album -- will stick in your head.

And, now, my favorite album of 2008...

This is a record I'd heard about for much of the year and seen countless hundreds of words written about it, whether it be from mainstream media, music blogs or friends who took to e-mail and message boards to evangelize about it.

And, still, I resisted picking it up.

Then, I met some friends for lunch around Christmas time, and one of my pals gave me a copy.

For the next month -- until a leak of the new Springsteen fell off a truck a couple weeks in advance to distract me -- I played this record non-stop.

For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver: A dude named Justin Vernon locked himself into a cabin in Wisconsin during the dead of winter, and three months later emerged with this haunting meditation on love, loss, regret and soul. It's hard to describe, but the cumulative power of this aching masterpiece is undeniable. It's difficult to separate out individual songs to listen to out of context, but "Skinny Love," "Flume" and the title track are great places to start.

Working on a Dream

2009-01-19T21:57:00.000-08:00

If dreams came true, wouldn't that be nice...

Forty-five-and-a-half years later...

43

2009-01-18T23:14:00.000-08:00

In terms of United States Presidents, 43 is a pretty crappy number.

In terms of National Football League safeties, 43 is a great number.

Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers wears number 43 for the black and gold, and his decisive interception and return for a touchdown clinched a win for the Steelers in tonight's intense AFC championship game against division rivals the Baltimore Ravens.

Next up: a Sunday, February 1, clash in Tampa, Fla. versus the NFC champion Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl ... XLIII, aka -- you guessed it -- 43.

Hire This Dude

2009-01-14T22:29:00.000-08:00

Officials at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as well as the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences should be backing up Brinks trucks to hire Ricky Gervais as permanent host of both the Oscars and the Emmys for the forseeable future.

This is not a new concept -- Ben Grossman and others have written about it, and any sentient being with a lick of common sense has thought it -- but it bears repeating.

[Off soapbox.]

Guess Who's Back?

2009-01-10T20:50:00.000-08:00

The Chargers.

Eight weeks after the Steelers prevailed over them in a bizarre contest with an 11-10 final score, the San Diego Chargers return to Blitzburgh -- er, Pittsburgh -- for an AFC divisional playoff matchup on Sunday.

With the Baltimore Ravens having knocked off the AFC's top-seeded Tennessee Titans on the road today, the Steelers would have the home field advantage for their third matchup of the season with the Ravens in the AFC Championship game next Sunday if they can beat the Chargers tomorrow.

But first things first: The Steelers must beat the Chargers tomorrow. The dudes pictured above (the defense, standing behind defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau) will hopefully have a lot to say about that.

UPDATE 1/11/09: The Steelers took care of business, beating the visiting Chargers 35-24 and setting up what promises to be a fierce, brutal battle against division rivals the Baltimore Ravens next Sunday in the AFC Championship game.

2009

2008-12-30T23:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all!

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-23T20:08:00.001-08:00

Best wishes for a joyful and peaceful holiday season, and a happy new year!

High and Wide

2008-12-14T21:50:00.000-08:00

President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq this weekend, and for his trouble, had to dodge not one but two shoes hurled at him by a reporter at a press conference.

Awful throwing arm the guy has, missing a stationary target twice from point-blank range. Rumor has it the Yankees offered him $44 million, anyway.

Tune in for the Healing Power of Laughter

2008-12-04T16:12:00.001-08:00

Rob Corddry ("The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," "What Happens in Vegas") writes, produces, directs and stars in "Childrens' Hospital," an irreverent new digital series lampooning the medical show genre.

It premieres Monday (December 8) on TheWB.com.

It's fookin' hilarious.

(And more than a little deliciously crude.)

My colleagues and I have been quoting this thing non-stop for months while waiting for it to premiere.

Check out the trailer below and tune in on Monday here.

Trust me.

"Dream" Comes True in January

2008-11-17T20:45:00.000-08:00

Today brought the exciting news that Bruce Springsteen will release his next record of new material in January.

Called "Working on a Dream," the new album will feature 12 tracks and will be released by Columbia Records on January 27, in advance of Springsteen's performance with the E Street Band at halftime of Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla. on February 1.

In addition to the new album proper, the CD will also contain two bonus tracks:

* "A Night with the Jersey Devil," originally released in MP3 and video format on Halloween via Bruce's official website

* "The Wrestler," his new song written for the closing credits of the excellent forthcoming motion picture of the same name which stars Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood. Directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Robert D. Siegel, "The Wrestler" will be released December 19 by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Oscar nominations for Rourke and Springsteen -- at minimum -- should follow on January 22, 2009.

Leave Nothing

2008-11-15T15:13:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers square off against the San Diego Chargers.

Can the Steel Curtain defense led by safety Troy Polamalu stop San Diego's running attacked powered by LaDanian Tomlinson?

We'll find out.

(Directed by David Fincher)

UPDATE: The Steelers won one of the weirdest games I've ever seen by an unprecedented 11-10 score, the first time that final tally ever happened in an NFL contest. Polamalu had one of the best interceptions ever seen in football, along with a game-ending breakup of a Chargers last-gasp gadget play that led to a touchdown that was incorrectly waved off after the officials blew the call, preserving the 11-10 outcome.

A Little Color

2008-11-05T16:24:00.000-08:00

Forty-Four

2008-11-04T21:32:00.000-08:00

Barack Hussein Obama was just elected the 44th President of the United States of America.

For the first time in our country's history, an African-American will hold the highest elected office in the land.

Beyond that historic event, honor and dignity will be restored to the White House, after eight disastrous years of Bush-Cheney and the tragic national nightmare of Bill Clinton's second term.

It's been a long time coming, but change has come.

V-O-T-E

2008-11-02T20:53:00.000-08:00

History will be made on Tuesday.

The people of the United States will either elect a Democratic ticket that will make an African American the 44th President of the country, or they will elect a Republican ticket that will result in a woman becoming the country's first Vice President.

No matter where one falls on the political spectrum, as citizens we have a civic duty to exercise the right to select our representatives and offer our opinion on various measurements, propositions, etc. that are up for debate.

Exercise your right. It's priceless.

I'll be voting for "that one."

A Night with the Jersey Devil

2008-10-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

Halloween is upon us, so that can only mean one thing.

No, not trick or treating or ghosts or goblins.

This year's Halloween treat comes completely out of left field in the form of "A Night with the Jersey Devil," a new Bruce Springsteen song -- with video -- posted to his official website, along with a link to an MP3 download of the audio.

My friend Aaron described the video as "There Will Be Blood" meets "Apocalypse Now" meets a Southern Baptist preacher meets Bruce Springsteen.

That about sums it up for me.

Lord, please let the new album sound as loose and rollicking as this wildman blues/folk stomp.

2008-10-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

Barack the Vote: Down to "The Wire" Edition

2008-10-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

The cast of television's finest show ever encourage residents of the state of North Carolina to v-o-t-e.

Rappin' Amy Poehler

2008-10-20T00:16:00.000-07:00

Amy Poehler lit up "SNL" this week.

Powell For Obama

2008-10-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

Gen. Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama for President this morning on "Meet the Press."

Presidential Humor

2008-10-17T19:32:00.001-07:00

McCain and Obama take time out from killing each other on the campaign trail to appear at the annual Al Smith dinner in New York and trade humorous barbs while adorned in white tie.

McCain -- who I hope loses the presidential election by about 30 points -- killed at the dinner, bringing the house down with a series of laugh-out-loud funny barbs directed at himself, Obama, the Clintons and more. If McCain could somehow project some of this lightness on the campaign trail, he'd be a lot better off than with the angry grandpa routine.

Catch the video below: McCain is in two parts, followed by Obama.

New, Funny-Ass Web Series

2008-10-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

Check out the trailer for Rob Corddry's very funny new digital series -- "Childrens' Hospital" -- at TheWB.com. It's an irreverent comedy that lampoons the medical show genre.

Healing power of laughter, my ass!

Movie Binge

2008-10-12T21:37:00.000-07:00

October brings the second quarter of the NFL season, the final chapter of baseball, the NBA preseason and, most importantly, the fourth quarter of the year in movie-going.

As always, the movie distribution companies have picked the last three months of the year to jam in the majority of films they deem to be significant pictures with a chance of award recognition.

Of course, there is still a good amount of dreck being released upon an unsuspecting public, but for discriminating moviegoers, there are multiple options for quality time at the cinema.

In the last 21 days, I've seen 10 movies. Someone had to do it. Don't try this at home.

* Comedian and television talk show host Bill Maher has teamed up with director Larry Charles on "Religulous," a funny and scabrous take on organized religion and its negative effect -- to say the least, according to Maher -- on human history. Maher has long espoused the idea that religious folks are basically silly naifs or extremists hell-bent on destroying the world or both. I don't agree with his blanket dismissal of people of faith, but Maher's anti-religion case is presented here with logic, conviction and -- most of all -- humor.

* Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen play gunmen for hire in "Appaloosa," a Western that while not the equal of modern classics like David Milch's HBO series "Deadwood" and Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven," is one of the most accomplished films of 2008. Reunited after explosively facing off a few years back in David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence" (written by Josh Olson), Harris and Mortensen this time are on the same side of the law, two gunslingers that troubled frontier towns call upon to restore order when things get rough. In this case, "rough" is played by Jeremy Irons as the leader of a band of thugs. Confident direction by Harris, terrific guy chemistry between he and Mortensen, and an assured, leisurely pace are the hallmarks of this fine genre entry.

* Jonathan Demme turned the clock back 20 years to return to his indie roots with "Rachel Getting Married," a drama starring Anne Hathaway as a wounded drug addict who upsets the proverbial family apple cart on a weekend furlough from rehab to attend the wedding of her sister, played by the talented Rosemarie DeWitt ("Mad Men"). There is much to recommend in this film -- the aforementioned DeWitt, the lovely music, the loose energy of the indie production -- but in order to enjoy it, moviegoers will have to put up with two hours of the most painfully self-absorbed character in the history of cinema. Hathaway turns in a tour-de-force performance as the damaged Kym, dealing with tragedies both real and imagined. It's a very in-your-face, warts-and-all portrayal of a young woman who I never want to encounter again as long as I live.

* Michael Cera and Kat Dennings co-star in the sweet "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," a seeming cross between "Before Sunrise," the Judd Apatow oeuvre, and "After Hours," for the iTunes generation. It's not quite a classic of the form like "Say Anything" or "The Breakfast Club," but it's solid and fun.

* Actor Clark Gregg -- recognized by recent network TV viewers as Julia Louis-Drefyus' ex-husband on "The New Adventures of Old Christine" but well-known to film fans as a member of David Mamet's repertory company (and a founding member, with Mamet, of the renowned Atlantic Theater Company) -- makes his directorial debut with "Choke," his own adaptation of the novel of the same name by "Fight Club" author Chuck Palahniuk. The Internet Movie Database describes the movie like this: "A sex-addicted con-man pays for his mother's hospital bills by playing on the sympathies of those who rescue him from choking to death." Rockwell plays the con-man, Anjelica Huston plays his mother, Kelly Macdonald plays a mysterious doctor, and Gregg steals the movie as the ridiculously earnest actor/manager of some sort of colonial theme park. Trust me: depraved hilarity ensues.

* Director Fernando Meirelles directed one of my favorite movies of the last 20 years in "City of God," an incendiary, "GoodFellas"-like portrait of the lives of the residents of a Brazilian favela, and then followed that up with the geo-political dramatic thriller "The Constant Gardener," another fine effort. Unfortunately, the gifts that informed both of those films have not been employed to their best use in "Blindness," his new filmic essay on human nature that examines what happens to the denizens of a major metropolis when its residents startingly lose their ability to see. What follows is, sadly, not very illuminating -- no pun intended. Chalk this up as the year's biggest disappointment, for me, given that I expect every Meirelles picture to be in contention for my favorite movie of any given year.

* Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe team up with director Ridley Scott for "Body of Lies," a CIA-set actioner that the filmmakers hoped would recall the great "paranoid thrillers" of the 1970s, including "The Parallax View" and "Three Days of the Condor." Writer/director Stephen Gaghan covered similar terrain to better effect, imho, in "Syriana," while Scott's brother Tony also dabbled in the genre in both "Enemy of the State" and "Spy Games."

* Keira Knightley stars as Georgina Spencer, the much buzzed-about Duchess of Devonshire in "The Duchess," opposite Ralph Fiennes as the insensitive, loutish Duke. The actors do a fine job of elevating overly familiar material (royal dude needs male heir and employs stable of beauties to deliver one) into a story worth watching, with Knightley really shining as a woman generations ahead of her time.

* Ricky Gervais is one of the funniest people on the planet, although the filmmakers of "Ghost Town" only allow moviegoers glimpses of his brilliance in this romantic comedy which also stars Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni. Recommended for the flashes of Gervais genius. If you're unsure, wait for cable, knowing that HBO will be broadcasting Gervais' new comedy special in mid-November.

* Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington star in "Lakeview Terrace," a domestic thriller directed by Neil LaBute. Imagine this summer's horror "The Strangers," with fewer creepy moments and a better villain (Jackson). Or don't. Either way: Cable or DVD is fine here.

McCain Playbook

2008-10-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

Pretty sad.

That Maverick Thing

2008-10-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

Tina Fey kills, again.

"Forget it, Jake."

2008-09-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

Full slate of weekend activities on tap:

* Attend a double-dip of Polanski -- "Rosemary's Baby" and "Chinatown" -- with a buddy and his wife at the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian on Saturday night. Beers to follow.

* At some point, attempt to catch one or all of these: French film "A Girl Cut in Two," Ricky Gervais-starrer "Ghost Town," or Neal LaBute's latest provocation, "Lakeview Terrace," toplined by Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington.

* Golf's Ryder Cup will take up 16 hours of daytime programming on NBC ... although the absence of Tiger Woods take a bit of the bloom off that rose.

* Keep Fox Soccer Channel tuned for much of the weekend: Chelsea host Manchester United in a clash of English Premier League soccer titans, and matches involving three of the four major Italian Serie A squads -- AC Milan, Roma and Inter Milan -- are also telecast.

* Pittsburgh Steelers bid to open the season 3-0 in an intra-state matchup versus the Philadelphia Eagles.

* New episodes of "True Blood" and "Entourage" on HBO.

* Clean the condo, get the car washed, go grocery shopping and do laundry, somewhere in there.

* Finish it all off by watching the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards and rooting heartily for "Mad Men," "Damages" and -- on behalf of the company -- "Two and a Half Men," "Pushing Daisies," Kyra Sedgwick and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Ready. Set. Go.

Weekend Pursuits, Vol. 3

2008-09-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

It wasn't pretty, but the Steelers knocked off the hated Browns, 10-6, in a driving rainstorm in Cleveland.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger shook off a shoulder injury and hooked up with number one receiver Hines Ward on another TD pass, while running back Willie Parker ground out another 100-yard rushing game.

Nice to see the big three carrying the offense again, as it should be.

The good guys are now 2-0.

Next up: a trip to Philadelphia next Sunday to face the Eagles in a Pennsylvania state championship game of sorts.

Weekend Pursuits, Vol. 2

2008-09-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember, I've been a huge fan of actors Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino.

I believe I first became aware of DeNiro as a kid, peeking over my father's shoulder in the early 1980s while he was watching a television broadcast of "The Deer Hunter." I've, of course, become obsessed with the guy in the intervening 20+ years, having watched "GoodFellas," "Raging Bull," "The Godfather, Part II," "Mean Streets," "Taxi Driver" and "The King of Comedy," among others, more than just a few times.

A friend of mine questioned my cinematic loyalty to the guy in the mid-'90s, observing that the two-time Oscar winner was seemingly more interested in a paycheck than great acting. Unbowed, I continued to revere the "early" DeNiro, but it became increasingly difficult sitting through dreck like "15 Minutes," "Hide and Seek," "The Fan" and others.

That said, he still is able to summon the gifts of the past and turn in fine performances in films like "Jackie Brown," "Casino," "Cop Land," etc.

Pacino, of course, was Michael Corleone in the "Godfather" films, the desperate bank robber in "Dog Day Afternoon," Tony Montana in "Scarface" and, in what is arguably his finest performance, a principled N.Y.P.D. detective in "Serpico."

His late career involves some excellent work as the victim of undercover cop Joe Pistone (played by Johnny Depp) in the mob drama "Donnie Brasco," as a burned-out detective in Christopher Nolan's remake of "Insomnia," as "60 Minutes" producer Lowell Bergman in Michael Mann's "The Insider," and as the profane real-estate salesman Ricky Roma in "Glengarry Glen Ross."

I try to overlook "The Devil's Advocate," "88 Minutes," "Two for the Money" and others.

After all their years of acting, DeNiro and Pacino finally shared scenes in a movie when Michael Mann became the first filmmaker to cast the two opposite one another in 1995's "Heat." (They appeared separately in "The Godfather, Part II.")

Thirteen years later, they're reunited onscreen in "Righteous Kill," a potboiler crime drama from "Inside Man" writer Russell Gewirtz (credit) and "88 Minutes" director Jon Avnet (debit).

Given my longstanding affection for the two actors, I knew I'd be a less-than-objective observer/critic of the movie. A standard cop drama/thriller with a twist, the film managed to exceed the incredibly low expectations I had based upon what I felt was a fairly weak trailer. DeNiro and Pacino both have the opportunity for some choice one-liners, and the supporting cast (a kinky/deranged Carla Gugino, along with Donnie Wahlberg and John Leguizamo) acquits itself as well as possible. The script is actually interesting, but the direction is poor, and it all ends up a bit of a misfire.

Bottom line: I enjoyed it. Can I recommend anyone else see it in theaters? Yes, for DeNiro and Pacino completists. Otherwise, cable or DVD is fine.

Weekend Pursuits, Vol. 1

2008-09-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

The Coen Brothers' new film, "Burn After Reading," was released on Friday, so my first order of weekend business was catching the new dark comedy after work last night.

My favorite Coen movies are "Miller's Crossing," "No Country for Old Men," "The Big Lebowski," "Fargo" and "O Brother Where Art Thou."

While there are elements of comedy in those films, they're primarily dramas or, at least, not "screwball" comedies.

My least favorite Coen pictures are "Raising Arizona" and "Barton Fink" (even though the latter is still a very accomplished movie), and so it was with a mix of excitement ("A new Coen Brothers film!") and apprehension ("Why are the actors behaving so weirdly in the trailer?") that I made the drive to the theater last night.

Long story short: "Burn After Reading" is an incredibly dark comedy about human foibles, the lies we tell ourselves, and the adventures of a bunch of Beltway knuckleheads who have to be seen to be believed.

On the plus side: Terrific performances by a volcanic John Malkovich as a recently fired CIA analyst; an icy Tilda Swinton as his fed-up wife; a rascally George Clooney as a philandering federal marshal with commitment issues; an earnestly sad Richard Jenkins as a health club manager with an unrequited flame; and a bemused David Rasche and J.K. Simmions as a CIA manager and boss, respectively.

On the downside: The overly bufoonish and cartoonish performances turned in by Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt, no doubt at the behest of the Coens. These two are right out of "Raising Arizona" (not a good thing, for me), and I couldn't help but keep wishing they were allowed to play their roles (relatively) straight.

That said, a highly enjoyable time at the movies, nonetheless.

"Here we go, Steelers, here we go..."

2008-09-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

The NFL season is now upon us, with the New York (Football) Giants opening defense of their Super Bowl crown with a divisional victory over the Washington Redskins on Thursday night.

Today, the first game of real interest to me took place, and my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers got 2008 off to a good start by shellacking the Houston Texans 38-17 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

All the stars were out today, with running back Willie Parker bounding back from a late-season broken leg last year to impress with three touchdowns and more than 100 yards rushing, while quarterback Ben Roethlisberger only misfired on one pass while tossing two touchdowns to the third celestial being of the offense, wideout Hines Ward.

Next up: the Cleveland Browns, next Sunday night on NBC. The Steelers have the NFL's toughest schedule this season, so a victory next week to keep the early momentum going is essential.

In bad news for the NFL and good guys in general, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was injured in today's game against the Chiefs, and published reports on Yahoo! Sports suggest it could be serious enough to cause him to miss the season.

This news also hits home to The Good Fellas, the fantasy football squads run by this blogger. Yes, I picked Brady with my number one pick in both of my leagues.

Bad luck.

Child Abuse

2008-09-02T22:44:00.000-07:00

On Friday, John McCain selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be the Republican candidate for Vice President on his ticket. Political pundits questioned her experience for the job and McCain's judgment in choosing her.

Three days later, the McCain campaign announced that Palin's teenage daughter was pregnant out of wedlock. Human beings everywhere wondered what the hell Palin was thinking by (1) accepting the nomination under these circumstances, and (2) subjecting her poor daughter to the media spotlight of a presidential campaign.

I have to imagine that dealing with an unplanned teen pregnancy is a wrenching proposition under normal circumstances.

I have to imagine it's even more challenging and painful to do when you're the daughter of the governor of an extremely small state in which the governor is very visible and popular.

It has to be infinitely more difficult to manage when your mother is running for Vice President of the fookin' United States!

Parents are supposed to protect their their children. Honorable folks do it every day, making sacrifices and foregoing personal gratification in a number of areas so their children can have the best opportunity for happy and healthy lives.

Not so the McCains and Palins. The adults who are putting Palin's daughter through what will come are sickening.

Reallllly fast, mon

2008-08-23T23:06:00.000-07:00

Usain Bolt completed his dominance of the Olympic sprints earlier this week, winning the 200 meters in a world record time of 19.30 seconds, then running a lightning fast third leg of the 4X100 meter relay to set up Asafa Powell for his triumphant burst down the track to a world record finish in a time of 37.10 seconds. That's three-tenths of a second faster than a Carl Lewis-led U.S. team ran in Barcelona in 1992.

Three gold medals for Bolt, with three world records. The most dominating Olympic sprinting performance of all time.

Argentina dusted Brazil 3-0 in the semifinals of men's soccer and then beat Nigeria in the final to defend their gold medal from 2004 in Athens.

The U.S. men's basketball team goes for gold in about 20 minutes against Spain, a team they shellacked by 30+ points last week in group play.

Oh yeah. I almost forgot.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played a 29-song, three-hour-and-15-minute show tonight. In St. Louis, Mo. Sadly, I was not there.

Tomorrow, they play again. In Kansas City, Mo. Sadly, I will not be there, either.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

2008-08-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

I saw "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" this weekend, and it instantly became one of my favorite movies of the year.

Maybe it's a bit of male fantasy.

Maybe it has some portrayals of female behavior that some might find eye-rolling.

Maybe it has more voiceover narration than necessary.

Maybe it's set in some impossible, chamber-of-commerce-approved postcard view of Barcelona.

Maybe, maybe, maybe. All those things may, in fact, be ... but those are issues someone else will have to deal with in a more objective manner.

For me, I'm still drunk with the transporting beauty of a film that starred Javier Bardem, Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz, and yet the most attractive person in it -- for this blogger -- was the luminous Rebecca Hall, whom I don't remember seeing onscreen before, although IMDB.com tells me she was in "The Prestige," which I most definitely saw.

Anyway, by all means, see "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." Best Woody Allen movie since "Bullets Over Broadway" in 1994.

Fast, mon.

2008-08-17T00:34:00.000-07:00

As if shot out a cannon, Jamaica's Usain Bolt was crowned the world's fastest man, storming to victory in the 100-meter Olympic final in Beijing in an otherworldly 9.69 seconds.

While basically jogging in the last 15 meters or so.

Unbelievable.

Can't wait to see him do his thing in the 200 and the 4x100 meter relay.

They Had Me at Hello

2008-08-16T15:43:00.001-07:00

OK, so my last post -- 10 days ago -- summed up my general lack of interest in the then-upcoming Olympic Games, except for men's soccer and men's basketball.

The next day, I set my DVR for the United States' opening soccer match, airing in the middle of the night on the West Coast. Upon waking on Friday morning (8/8/08), I attempted to watch the game, only to find that Time Warner Cable managed to capture the scoreless first half ... but somehow experienced a technical snafu that resulted in a cultural arts/dance program from KCET occupying the hour of recording where the second half should have been.

So, I'm now fuming and basically ready to write off the whole Games, period, in an irrational fit of pique.

Yet, I still recorded the Opening Ceremonies, figuring everyone would probably be talking about it, so I might as well watch, if only not to be left out of the conversation.

Of course, the spectacle that unfolded was among the most stunning presentations ever seen at an Olympic games. From the chilling drum-powered countdown to the human artists beneath the boxes making the visual story come to life to the former Chinese Olympic gymnast lighting the torch in mid-flight while being suspended above the stadium by wires ... it was amazing.

(Sadly, the subsequent revelations that much of the fireworks were CGI fakes, an anthem was lip-synced because the original singer was deemed not photogenic enough by Chinese authorities, and some offensive casting imbroglios took a bit of luster off of the presentation.)

My favorite parts of the ceremony involved the backstory of two participants:

Lopez Lomong was one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, ripped from their homes at a young age and left for dead. He survived 10 years in a Kenyan refugee camp, was adopted by a family in New York and is now a U.S. citizen and decorated distance runner. He was given the honor of carrying the U.S. flag into the stadium. Read more about his amazing life experience in the Los Angeles Times.

Lin Hao is a 9-year-old Chinese boy who survived the devastating Chinese earthquake in May and had saved the lives of two of his classmates by going back into the rubble of their school and helping them escape. When asked why he did it, the young boy responded that he was a hall monitor, and it was his responsibility to look after his fellow students. Cue the tears.

We're a week into the Games now, and the performances have been inspiring.

Michael Phelps has captured the imagination of the world by equaling Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in a single Olympics, and he's going for eight later tonight.

My dormant love for track and field has been reignited by the historic performance of Jamaican sprinter Usaine Bolt.

A 200-meter runner by trade, Bolt only began running the 100 meters this year. He bettered the world record twice in 2008 before the Olympics, establishing 9.72 as the fastest time in history in only his fifth 100 meter race of his life, according to NBCOlympics.com.

Bolt stunned this blogger, the crowd at the Bird's Nest stadium, and the global TV audience last night by winning a quarter-final heat in a lightning quick 9.92 seconds, all the while appearing to jog for the last 40 meters or so while swiveling his head from left to right to see if anyone was going to catch him.

The semi-finals and finals have already taken place today in Beijing but won't be televised in the U.S. until tonight.

Therefore, SPOILER ALERT ...

According to the official NBC Olympics site, Bolt ran 9.85 in the semi-finals today, again shutting down after 80 meters to cruise in unimpeded.

He then went on to do the unthinkable in the final, winning the gold by covering the 100 meter distance in 9.69 seconds, the first time in human history that a person ran under 9.7 without the aid of wind.

And, of course, the first time in human history that someone ran under 9.7 with his arms hanging at his sides for the last seven strides and celebrating his victory before even crossing the finish line ... making other world-class sprinters in the race literally seem like turtles.

END SPOILER ALERT...

Looking forward to seeing this on TV tonight.

The U.S. men's basketball team is rolling along, beating Spain handily today.

Brazil's mens's soccer team made the semis today, beating Cameroon 2-0 after being forced to extra time. Lionel Messi scored one and assisted on the game-winner in Argentina's extra-time win over the Netherlands, setting up a semi-final clash versus Brazil.

Can't wait.

Games of the XXIX Olympiad

2008-08-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Summer Olympics officially commence on Friday (8-8-08), after some sports kick off with early-bird preliminaries on Thursday.

As a kid (and beyond), I loved the Summer Games. Track and field was my favorite sport to view, and I have fond memories throughout the years of watching the exploits of superstar Carl Lewis, hurdler Edwin Moses, long-jumper Mike Powell, decathlete Daley Thompson, 400-meter runner Quincy Watts and the irrepressible 200- and 400-meter legend Michael Johnson.

My favorite track athlete of all time is Renaldo "Skeets" Nehemiah, the unstoppable 110-meter hurdler of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Alas, Nehemiah never got to shine on the world's biggest stage, his Olympic dream having been dashed by the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Moscow games.

Anyway, my passion for the Olympics has diminished these days. With all the drug and doping controversies in track coupled with the human-interest-story-over-actual-sports approach to primetime coverage on NBC, my interest level has now basically been limited to men's soccer and men's basketball.

Will Brazil finally capture the one soccer title that has eluded the game's most accomplished nation?

Will the USA basketball team reclaim the gold medal that has eluded them on the international stage since the 2000 Olympics?

Tune in.

Best. Movie. Super. Villain. Ever.

2008-07-20T17:11:00.001-07:00

Weekend report...

* Saw "The Dark Knight" and enjoyed it a great deal. Apparently, so did a few other people, as the picture seems to have shattered box-office records for an opening frame. I don't have much to add to the generally rapturous reviews, except to say that comparisons to "The Godfather" or "Heat" might just be stretching it a bit, or to the discussion of Heath Ledger's performance, which I found vivid and haunting.

It was fascinating to see director/cowriter Christopher Nolan take on critically relevant political and social issues -- like democracy, free will and how an allegedly enlightened and free society reacts to terrorism in its midst, etc. -- within the dramatic construct of a summer super hero movie.

I'd love to see Nolan really sink his teeth into that subject matter in direct fashion, in a film along the lines of Paul Greengrass' upcoming "Green Zone" or -- to a lesser extent -- Ridley Scott's forthcoming "Body of Lies," as opposed to via allegory in the live action comic genre.

Every one of Nolan's films have been confident, assured works of a budding master. He's definitely hit his stride as a mature artist with "The Dark Knight," and I can't wait to see what he does next.

* Saw a Shark swallowed up by a Paddy. Fifty-three-year-old Greg Norman inexplicably was leading The Open Championship when he woke up this morning, having slept on a third-round lead in golf's oldest major tournament ... after not having played in the last 11 majors and entering this one simply as a warmup to next week's Senior Open Championship while basking in the afterglow of his recent marriage to tennis legend Chris Evert.

Sadly, Father Time caught up with the Great White Shark today at Royal Birkdale, as Norman couldn't keep the clocked turned back completely. Defending champion Padraig Harrington turned in a wondrous one-under-par round of 69 in brutal conditions on Sunday for a four-round total of three over par, enabling the Irishman to be crowned "champion golfer of the year" in back-to-back years. Tiger Woods -- injured and unable to compete this week -- had previously held the title in 2006 and 2005.

* Musical musings. Listened a lot to the new John Mellencamp record -- a contemporary folk offering produced by T. Bone Burnett -- and found it to be excellent.

Spent some more time with The Hold Steady's new one, "Stay Positive," and still like it, although its flaws are becoming more evident upon repeated exposure. But the good stuff -- namely the two leadoff tracks ("Constructive Summer" and "Sequestered in Memphis"), the title track and the two closing tracks ("Joke About Jamaica" and "Slapped Actress") are all first-rate musically. I read somewhere (maybe Esquire?) that The Hold Steady's last record -- the sublime "Boys and Girls in America" from 2006 -- sold fewer than 80,000 copies. I realize that musicians now basically make their entire living from touring -- and thankfully The Hold Steady draw a decent crowd on the road -- but that number seemed shockingly low to me. Never underestimate the lack of musical taste in this country.

Found the new Beck to be underwhelming.

Have high hopes for the new Okkervil River advance and have heard good things about -- believe it or not -- a Glen Campbell covers collection coming next month that finds the country impresario interpreting U2, the Velvet Underground, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Replacements, Green Day and Travis, among others.

Spread the Word

2008-07-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

While impatiently waiting for the July 18 release of "The Dark Knight," I went to the movies last weekend to see what subsequently became my favorite film of 2008 to date: "Tell No One."

Released in 2006 in France and subsequently throughout Europe, the film finally bowed in the U.S. on July 4 via indie distributor Music Box Films. It was definitely worth the wait.

Based upon a novel by American writer Harlan Coben, "Tell No One" stars Francois Cluzet as Dr. Beck, a pediatrician whose idyllic life is shattered by the apparent murder of his wife and lifelong sweetheart, played by the stunning and talented French Canadian actress Marie-Josee Crozee, most recently seen in "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and probably best known as the seductive Dutch assassin in Steven Spielberg's "Munich."

Eight years later, Beck's life is shattered again when he receives a mysterious e-mail that suggests his wife may not be dead after all. His best friend (and lesbian lover to his sister) -- played by the luminous Kristin Scott Thomas -- thinks he's crazy, the cops now think he killed his wife, and he's soon off on a desperate quest to uncover the truth.

I'm probably not doing a good job of selling this, but trust me: It's excellent. As Kenneth Turan said in his review in the Los Angeles Times, "Tell everyone about 'Tell No One.'"

Best. Tennis. Match. Ever.

2008-07-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer today in a five-set marathon to win his first Wimbledon championship and to put an end to Federer's streak of winning the last five Wimbledon men's singles titles.

I'm just a casual observer of tennis these days, basically only tuning in to the final weekend of the grand slam events, but if there's anything that would inspire me to take a closer look, this duel was it.

NBC analyst and tennis legend John McEnroe called it the best match he'd ever seen. That's good enough for me.

Hopefully, Spain is holding up under the weight of all the revelry.

Last weekend, the national soccer team beat Germany to win Euro 2008.

Now, Nadal has followed up his French Open victory over Federer with the Wimbledon triumph.

If Sergio Garcia somehow wins golf's Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in two weeks, the country may just fall apart.

Downloads

2008-07-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

July 15 will bring the release of "Magic Tour Highlights," an Internet-only collection of four songs in MP3 format featuring guest performers from the current Bruce Springsteen tour.

The selections:

* "Always a Friend," an Alejandro Escovedo track sung by its composer with Springsteen in Houston

* "The Ghost of Tom Joad," with Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello threatening to blow the roof off the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

* "Turn Turn Turn" with Roger McGuinn of The Byrds in Orlando, Fla.

* "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)," the final live performance by E Street Band organ player Danny Federici with the band, from Indianapolis

In addition to the MP3 files, videos of each track will also be available for download.

All proceeds will benefit The Danny Federici Melanoma Fund.

¡Viva La Seleccion!

2008-06-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

Weekend recap...

* With my regular weekend moviegoing friend, I saw the new release "Wanted" at the Arclight. The film is not for the old, grumpy or the non-videogame player. Therefore, she (being younger and optimistic) loved it, and I ... well, I didn't care for it too much. Anthony Lane of The New Yorker opened his review of the film with the following graph, which basically sums it up:

What is it like being Timur Bekmambetov? No artist should be confused too closely with his creations, but anybody who sits through “Wanted,” Bekmambetov’s new movie, will be tempted to wonder if the life style of the characters might not reflect or rub off on that of the director. How, for example, does he make a cup of coffee? My best guess, based on the evidence of the film, is that he tosses a handful of beans toward the ceiling, shoots them individually into a fine powder, leaves it hanging in the air, runs downstairs, breaks open a fire hydrant with his head, carefully directs the jet of water through the window of his apartment, sets fire to the building, then stands patiently with his mug amid the blazing ruins to collect the precious percolated drops. Don’t even think about a cappuccino.

* Went here for a friend's 40th birthday party. MUCH fun was had by all.

* Sadly, missed a different friend's summer party on the Westside. Hopefully, he'll forgive my non-attendance.

* Woke up early Sunday, ran some errands, then hit the freeway to Santa Clarita to hang out at the home of a friend/fellow futbol aficionado (the real deal ... a native of Manchester, England, season ticketholder and lifelong fan of Man United, etc.) to watch the Euro 2008 final and enjoy a traditional English breakfast of bangers, potato cakes and eggs.

* In the above-mentioned Euro 08 championship match, Spain continued its stylish run through the tournament, besting Germany 1-0 on a dashing goal by striker Fernando Torres. (Of course, this just killed my friend, as Torres plays club soccer for the dreaded Liverpool, and the Mancunians just don't seem to like those Scousers very much.)

* Typed this entry.

* About to head to an undisclosed location to watch additional episodes from an advance copy of a highly anticipated (by me) miniseries soon to premiere on premium television. Personal note: I'm adhering to the grooming standard ... but suffering from the root cause of global instability.

Rough Week

2008-06-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

First, the Lakers lose the NBA Finals in historic fashion.

Then, Tiger Woods shuts down his season due to injury.

Now, Italy gets bounced from the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 on penalties by Spain.

Both sides played a lackluster 90 minutes, with Spain mustering less than a handful of genuine opportunities to score and Italy even fewer.

Extra time proved equally uneventful, and so both sides squared off from the penalty spot.

Of course, the last time Italy was in a penalty shootout in a major competition, they made the most of it and won the 2006 World Cup.

This time, it was not to be. Spain's Iker Casillas got his hand to two Italian tries, and those two key saves made the difference for La Seleccion.

Spain will face Russia in one semifinal, while Germany and Turkey will square off in the other.

Hot as a Mutha Up in Here

2008-06-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

It was 107 degrees in Burbank today, a city four miles or so to the east of Bellingham View headquarters in Valley Village.

That ain't right.

Springsteen on Russert

2008-06-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

Bruce Springsteen's performace of "Thunder Road," via satellite at Tim Russert's memorial service today.

Speechless

2008-06-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

The Boston Celtics destroyed the Lakers by 39 points in a rout of historic proportions to win the NBA championship for 2008.

I've never seen a Lakers team get rolled this badly in such a decisive contest. And neither has anyone else. The Celtics' 39-point margin of victory was the greatest in a clinching game in the history of the NBA Finals.

As my friend's grade-school-age son noted, when he added up the differential in the closing seconds and noted the Lakers were down by 40: "Hopefully we'll learn from this for next season."

Indeed.

Best. Tournament. Ever.

2008-06-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

Three months ago, I tapped out a post in which I declared Tiger Woods to be the most amazing sports figure I've ever witnessed.

This week's events at the U.S. Open, golf's second major of the year, did nothing to change that opinion.

Dragging a surgically repaired knee around Torrey Pines for five days, Woods produced a half-dozen "are you kidding me?-type moments and survived a 19-hole playoff today to defeat hearty journeyman Rocco Mediate on the tournament's 91st hole.

The win gives Woods 14 professional majors, just four behind the legendary Jack Nicklaus.

UPDATE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18: Not only was Tiger Woods recovering from April surgery to remove cartilage in his left knee, he was also playing with (1) a ruptured left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) that he injured in summer 2007 and (2) a double stress fracture of the tibia, which he incurred in May, while rehabbing from the knee surgery.

What's amazing about the ACL situation is that Woods says today on his website that he injured it while running at home following the British Open last summer.

He decided to forego surgegy, and then managed to win five of his next six tournaments in 2007 -- tying for second in the one that he didn't win -- and led the U.S. to victory in the President's Cup.

He won his first four tournaments of 2008, finished fifth at the WGC-CA Championship and second at the Masters before having the cartilage surgery in April.

He then suffers the double-stress fracture of the tibia during his rehab, which is discovered in May, causing him to drop out of the Memorial.

He returns to golf at the U.S. Open, wins, and then is finally forced to shut it down for the year to have reconstructive surgery on the left knee's ACL.

Amazing. Anyway, here's hoping he comes back healthier than ever.

R.I.P. Tim Russert

2008-06-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember, I've watched NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sundays and MSNBC's (and formerly CNBC's) "Tim Russert" interview program on Saturdays.

I've hung on his every word during campaign 2008 coverage on MSNBC and NBC News.

My dad and I shared laughs about Russert's books about his own father and working-class upbringing in Buffalo.

And now he's -- unbelievably -- dead at age 58.

In the mid 1990s, I worked in entertainment publicity at NBC in Burbank, Calif. One year, the network's affiliate convention was being held in Los Angeles, and so our entire department was assigned to serve as "talent wranglers" at an evening cocktail party. Essentially, this means you show up, attach yourself to one of the network's television stars, and introduce them to station general managers, promotion directors and other assorted personnel, and persuade them to pose for pictures, engage in small talk, etc.

Most of the time, these events are insufferable, and this one wasn't much different. Between dealing with the performer you're assigned to cover (meaning, dealing with the performer and their agent and manager and publicist and assistant and everyone else who has an opinion) and trying to navigate through a sea of station personnel all convinced they are the most important market in the U.S., you're in for a headache. And, since these things normally occur in May or June, there's a pretty good chance that you're missing an NBA playoff game to be there.

Not being all that starstruck, the presence of the stars of "Friends," "Law & Order," "ER," "Just Shoot Me!," and other shows on the network didn't faze me.

But then, out of the blue ... there he was: NBC News Washington bureau chief and moderator of "Meet the Press," Tim Russert. Arriving to the door of the party in a completely unassuming manner and wearing that cherubic grin that almost always seemed plastered to his face on television (except for when he was furrowing his brow to dig in to some bloviating politician), Russert bounded in, sans flak, aide-de-camp or other hanger-on, etc.

Memory of which actor I was "covering" at the time now escapes me, but all I know is that I immediately left him/her and bolted (OK, shuffled -- I don't "bolt" anywhere) across the room to introduce myself to Russert as a representative of his network, shake his hand and welcome him to the party.

All Russert did was thank me, smile broadly and clap me heartily across the shoulder as he was immediately swarmed by higher-ups from the news division who clearly had to be wondering who the hell this interloping punk was from the entertainment division. But the memory of the encounter is still bright today, for some reason.

Maybe, as my friend Stu noted in his heartfelt commentary earlier today at Variety's On the Air blog, it's because we have a different relationship to people we "invite" into our homes when we watch them on TV all the time.

Whatever the case, his loss is immense for journalism, for thoughtful people, and for America.

R.I.P., Mr. Russert.