While looking at my logs I noticed that one of the countries that accessed this is site is Tuvalu. I had never heard of it, so I googled it. While looking through an information site, I found this interesting bit of information...

Way to go Tuvalu. All this time I figured it was something that the television industry had created, but instead it is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean who are exploiting our media. For some reason, that makes me happy.

I'm going to go to a movie tonight, but I'm not sure what to see. Here are the options I'm considering:

Chinese Roulette by Fassbinder at the Film Forum
Black Sunday by Mario Bava at BAMcinematek
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind by George Clooney at UA Union Square
Far from Heaven by Todd Haynes at CC Village East
The Pianist by Roman Polanski at Loews Village VII
Talk to Her by Pedro Almodovar at Landmark Sunshine

Forget about my mood or what's closest, just tell me the absolute best choice for tonight. Note: the first two films are only available to be seen this evening.

UPDATE: Although you, the readers, did not respond, I made a choice on my own. I saw Confessions and then I saw Chicago "for free" after it. The first was good the second was just ok. More in mini-reviews later.

Usually, after seeing a good tv show or movie I like to head over to IMDb and check out the actors I don't know. After watching The Shield I decided to check out what else Michael Chiklis had done. I noticed he was the voice for the father in Spirited Away. That is cool. I also wanted to see who played the lead character, Chihiro. It was Daveign Chase, who is a 13 year-old girl that has an impressive portfolio.

Aside from Spirited Away, she played Lilo from Lilo & Stitch and was the youngest child in the Darko family from Donnie Darko. She has a bunch more on her resumé, but those stood out.

Although she has a lot of potential, the main purpose here was to show how IMDb always gives me fun information.

On Friday night I watched the premiere episode of Da Ali G Show and I thought it was one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. It is smart, silly and pokes fun at journalism. The interesting tidbit is that many critics disagreed with me.

This would be shocking if my favorite shows were Cops and Battlebots, but I tend to think along the same lines as most critics. So what's the rub here? The author says that the reason us Americans don't like Ali G is for fundamental reasons—we have different tastses.

That seems to make sense, but I think it also points to the stupidity of American audiences. Yes, poop jokes can be funny, but is that how we define humor? It seems so and that is disappointing. It would be interesting to read about the root of humor in different cultures. Why do we respond poorly to puns but love guys falling down the stairs? I'm not sure, but if you have any thoughts or reading recommendations then please send them my way.

People say politics and blogs don't mix. I say fuck that. I'll aim to be more newsworthy and less sensational, but I think you know how I feel. On that note...

You can participate in a virtual march on February 26th (Wednesday) by going to this page and signing up. They explain it better than I can.

For those willing to make a call, they provide talking points to make it easier.

I just realized that NBC is broadcasting Arena Football on Sundays. I'm not really a big fan and I don't follow the players or stats, but I do love football. So, I am going to be watching and I am going to try and go to some games.

And so this is my call to action. Do any of my peeps in NYC want to go to a New York Dragons game? They are playing Orlando this weekend.

I watched 'em. This is actually rare for me, as I think awards shows are often a waste of time, but despite negative reactions from the press, I actually enjoyed them this year. This is mostly because there was no host making dumb jokes (although Robin Williams made up for that with his acceptance speech), things ended on time and there were a ton of performances. At the Oscars you have to sit through long, boring acceptance speeches. Yes yes, they deserve a few minutes to bask in their self-love, but I don't really care to watch.

So, this year was good even though the awards they actually gave out were generally poor choices, which is the main reason I don't like watching these awards shows (Did they really need to nominate Elvis Costello's b-sides album, Cruel Smile, for best alternative record?). I actually haven't heard Norah Jones' album, so I can't criticize, but I think you all know what I'm talking about. What's up with Wilco not getting a nod for anything? So I hope one day someone creates the Indies, or some other award show with a more culturally sensitive title that awards independent musicians.

Today has been one of those days where you question everything. Am I doing what I want to do? Will this lead to where I want to be? Am I living where I want to live? Why are sneezes contagious?

And so, I sat around all day moping, watching tv and movies. Right now, I am watching Hedwig and it makes everything seem alright. Aside from the story being amazing, the music just makes everything right. Campy moves have healing power. So for the next hour, before it ends, life is grand. Sure, I'll have to worry about life again in an hour, but I'll worry about that when it comes.

I'll have much more to say about this in the morning, but you have to check out ready.gov. It is fucking ridiculous.

I would give you a spiel now, but I'd like to craft something instead of just ramble, so I will go to sleep instead. More in the AM.

UPDATE:
Okay, so I planned to update this yesterday but my site was down for a while, so I couldn't. Now, I don't really want to. Still, I recommend you look at some of the visual guides and question how useful and pertinent these are. I understand they are trying to prepare us, but I don't think this is really helping so much.

You can decide for yourself.

Everyone knows that the UK produces a lot of good comedies and we most often think about Fawlty Towers or Mr. Bean, but now there is some amazing new stuff coming to the US. It's about freaking time. The following are shows that have arrived or will arrive very soon.

Banzai: Sadly, the full show was never picked up in the US. Instead, mini-segments were used as show lead-ins on TNT (I think). This show has people do ridiculous things and then they pause so everyone in the room can bet on whether or not they will succeed. It is hilarious and awesome to watch in a group.

Trigger Happy TV: Think Jackass bred with Candid Camera, but funny and less painful. A cast of characters do ridiculous things around London and film onlookers' reactions. My favorite bits are when they interview someone famous and then do something ridiculous to break up the interview. You have to see it to believe it. This is on during the week on Comedy Central.

The Office: I'm not positive, but I think this is a mini-series. It is a mockumentary on office life. Imagine Dilbert but with real people, funny and no stupid dog. Occassionally, it is one of those "so real it hurts" shows. It is running on BBC America right now.

Ali G: The newest of the imports and, thankfully, it is coming to HBO this Friday. Ali G is certainly a sight. He is a white, jewish guy who wears hip hop clothes and acts a little crazy. The show is him interviewing famous people. This is a perfect example of the brilliance of British comedies; it is all about the way they interact with other people.

I hope you enjoy my programming guide. If you have other suggestions or ones I've missed, leave a comment.

In today's NYT, they run an article called "A Thin Line Between Film and Joystick," that is all about the new Matrix videogame, which I discussed earlier. In case you've forgotten, this game is a companion to the two upcoming movies. It will have additional plot and is based on a 244-page script penned by the Wachowski brothers. Oh, and a full hour of new film scenes.

This whole thing makes me very happy. It is great to see some strong writers (the brothers) work on a videogame because the story is often the weakest part of any game. The brothers, with game publisher Infogrames, have made a tie-in to a movie that isn't going to suck. Thankfully, this seems to be a growing trend. In the past, studios would license movies to game publishers and they would bank on the hype factor to sell games. This will only work a select few and will not work on die hard gamers.

Also, publications like the New York Times are beginning to discuss the blurring line between games and movies, which is great. Unfortunately, the piece isn't exactly very explorative, but this is a daily newspaper that is reporting and not synthesizing.

Once again, I am very excited to check out this game. Even without playing it and purely in theory, this game is revolutionary.

I'm in New York and a movie is being filmed down the street! Okay, please don't leave. This is actually interesting, I think.

Currently I am living on Staten Island (the forgotten borough) with my uncles. Unlike the big city, we rarely see movie crews milling about, throwing lights and cranes around with reckless abandon. Over the last couple weeks there have been tons of media trucks and tents and winnebagoes flocking around the St. George Theatre. I was curious, but the trucks didn't have visible permits in the windows and there was no one around to ask. So I gave up.

Today, my uncle and I went to eat at the Cargo Cafe, only to find a film crew there. It was closed until Friday. We got up the nerve to ask about the movie and found out it is called School of Rock.

We were skeptical at first, because earlier I had heard Ben Affleck was in it, but I was happily surprised when I found out it is with Jack Black, Sarah Silverman, Joan Cusack and Mike White (from Chuck and Buck, who also wrote the movie). The plot sounds pretty worthless, but I <3 <3 Sarah Silverman. She is my new Janeane Garofalo.

So it seems they are only in town for another couple days, but this is fairly exciting for me. I really like that entire cast and it is in two places on Staten Island that I really like AND it is coming out this summer. When it does, I'll be sure to post again and tell you the same things I just told you.

The title of this post was a button I saw at the rally on Saturday, but it also explains my feelings about the response to the worldwide rallies by the White House. In a NYT article today, Bush was quoted as saying:

Obviously, the protesters were not saying that Saddam poses no threat. The intention was to show support for a non-violent resolution to the problem of Saddam. It is infuriating that he trivializes the rallies in this way.

I was hoping there would be a good Op-Ed piece today talking about the responses from different politicians and world organizations, but there is not such a thing. Hopefully in the coming weeks someone will address the issue. Also, I didn't expect Bush to say, "You are right, I am wrong. No war," but I was hoping that he would at least take the actions and beliefs of millions into account. I guess there's still time, but it sure as hell isn't likely.

I am living in New York. We got a ridiculous amount of snow. And so, I present you with a photo essay of said snow.

View the collection (Not a pop-up)

I just got back from the city after attending the anti-war rally. It was a truly profound experience to see so many people there. It makes you understand that people do actually care. CNN.com claims 200,000 came while the city claims it was only 100,000. According to an email sent to the volunteers list by the organizers, 500,000 people attended. No matter what the true number, it is just amazing.

In London there are claims between 750,000 (police) to 2 million (organizers). In Barcelona they claim 1.3 million and there were about 150,000 in Melbourne yesterday.

The speakers in New York were engaging, thoughtful and passionate. The crowd was caring, interested and responsive. It was truly astounding. The only problem was the way the cops dealt with crowd control. They had denied a march permit because they feared it would be difficult to control. Instead, we were forced to march because the cops would not let us cross at any of the side streets. As a result of this, they clogged up the city worse than they would have liked and people were being mistreaded. According to the email from the organizers, 320 people were arrested at the event. But, thankfully, this did not put a damper on the day.

Later tonight I'll be posting all of the photos I took at the rally. In the meantime, I'm going to lay down and rest.

Update: I finished the photos. View them here (or here for RSS readers, those with bad pop-up blockers or folks who like full control over their windows).

With a war coming up and rumos of terrorist threats, you need to get out and do something. Anything. Now is the time when we can tell our government that we're not happy. I know, you're one person, you can't do much. I know, it's one rally, it won't prove much. It's easy to sit idly by.

On Saturday the 15th, there will be anti-war rallies throughout the world. There is a huge one in NYC at 49th and 1st. If you can't make it to a rally, then write a congressman or the President or even your local alderman. As I sit in midtown Manhattan I can't help but feel highly connected to everything that is going on.

If you don't have time to write or go to a rally or whatever, then at least give this whole thing some serious thought. At work/school/home, take out 10 minutes and read some opinion articles or just close your eyes and figure out where you stand. Be educated.

Saturday I'll be at the rally with my camera in tow. I'll be posting all of the pictures on this site for you to see.

Today is a wonderful day for me and my lady. See, one year ago I picked her up online. Things moved quickly and she was in town by the end of the week. I know her every curve and bend, and I really know how to push her buttons.

Okay, so it's not a woman. It is my Powerbook. I got her one year ago today and she is still running smooth. Although there are other macs vying for my attention, I am still incredibly happy with this machine. And oh baby, she is a machine. Raawwwrrrrr.

My Tivo is being duped. In the last week I have had the show "Cyber 2-3" recorded twice. It makes sense because the category is listed as computers and I record a couple TechTV shows. The problem is that the show has nothing to do with computers and everything to do with infomercials.

There are two possibilities here. First, some genius has decided to list an informercial as a computer program hoping to draw in unsuspecting Tivo users. The second is that some idiot forgot to change the program data when the actual programming had switched. It's more fun to think it's the former, so I will.

This is Tivo Spam. It is the same concept as writing an email and titling it "Long time no see" when the person emailing you is neither a person nor have they ever seen you before. This could become very nasty very quickly. Do we need a regulatory board making sure that cable networks don't misname shows in an effort to get us to watch? It would certainly be unnecessary now, but it wouldn't hurt it Tivo would doublecheck the listings.

Another form of Tivo Spam is outlined here:

The original article from The Register can be found here. Unfortunately, this all shouldn't be too unexpected. I just hope that Tivo remains a trustworthy brand over the long haul.

Today, the Oscar nominations were released. There weren't many surprises, but a few disappointments. It would have been nice to see Maggie Gylenhaal nominated for best leading actress. I know it's a long shot and a lot of this is about star power, but I thought she was excellent in Secretary. And another big reach would have been to give Kieran Culkin a nod. I can dream. The one movie missing completely is Punch-Drunk Love. On a positive note, I was definitely happy to see Spirited Away hanging out in the Animated Features list. I think that one will be a shoo-in.

The nominations remind me that I have a lot of movie viewing to do in the next couple weeks. I have only seen one of the nominees for best picture. I definitely want to see Gangs of New York and The Pianist, but I wouldn't cry if I missed The Hours or Chicago. Anyway, check out the list and tell what you think.

Here is some good news. Ain't It Cool News has started Ain't It Cool Games, which is supposed to be a behind the scenes look at the video game industry with some occasional commentary. It's always good to have another source. Moving on.

Today a "manifesto" was posted about the lack of innovation in modern gaming. This is a common and potentially intersting discussion. The author claims that innovation is sparse and even big name games like Zelda or Mario are just rehashes of previously successful versions. I can't argue with that. What I think is more interesting is the reason this is happening.

As the video game industry grows larger it will start to model other mainstream industries (film, music, etc.) and focus its attention on big budget games. Most of the time they won't be innovative because innovation isn't guaranteed to be profitable. (Think about the proliferation of sequels in film. A proven commodity is always safer than innovation.) Does that mean innovation will be completely abandonned? Of course not. There will always be small development houses looking to make a name for themselves and many people in the industry are still interested in innovation, but since it is no longer needed like it was twenty years ago you will find that those in it for the money will stick inovation in the back seat.

I could go on for a few more paragraphs, but instead I'll say that it will be fun to watch the development of this industry. This will likely be the only medium that I'll get to see completely develop in my lifetime and I imagine it will be amusing to look back on this post in 20 years.

Mitch Albom wrote an article about Pepsi dropping Ludacris and picking up Ozzy. See, Russell Simmons is organizing a boycott of Pepsi products because they consider it racist to allow a raunchy white guy be their spokesman but not a raunchy black guy. I hadn't thought about this, but I definitely agree. I also think that they are a victim of capitalism, but back to my point. Mitch Albom is stupid.

He certainly can have his own point of view, but does he have to be so condescending? Not that I am the authority, but this seems like the classic sense of people just not getting it. I don't think anyone thought, "Gee, white guys sell more than black guys," but the fact is that a black guy was fired and a white guy was put in the superbowl ad. No matter the intention, the effect is there. So Mitch Albom, shhhhhh. Go back to your hole.

A few weeks ago I mentioned an article on video game journalism I was working on, which will be in the next Emmie, and one aspect of the article concerned the availabilty of games that have a social conscience. An article released by the AP discusses how real life issues are invading video games.

Although many good points were made, what interested me were the political responses in online games. There was an online vigil in Everquest after September 11th, an anti-war protest at There.com and a suggested protest in the Sims Online for the addiiton of a McDonald's logo. Another hilarious one involved a patch to allow anti-war protests in an online war game. Granted, these weren't built into the game, but the fact that people are using video games as a conduit for political protest is an interesting step forward.

Lately, Tivo has decided that I would like shorts. No, not the ones you wear, but the kind of film that lasts about 10 minutes instead of 90. And so far, the ones offered have been really good. Here are my two favorites.

My Other Wheelchair is a Porsche: This is about a wheelchair-bound teenager working through sexual frustration. I thought the story was interesting and was similar to Secretary. Well, the ending at least.

Flying: About a down and out man sitting in an airport and the older gentleman who helps him work things out. There is something of a twist to the story, but I'll save it in case on of you actually plan to seek these out.

The one thing I am very curious about is the future of these two directors -- Ravi Kumar and Bruce Terris. I would love to see their names in lights a few years down the road.

According to the Shifted Librarian and Entertainment Weekly, we can expect two and a half new Matrix movies. The videogame, Enter the Matrix, will have over an hour of film shot while making the two feature films. The story will be independent of the movies and will intersect with the film's plot. So you'll have to play the game to understand parts of the movie and vice versa. Another interesting fact is that the game cost $20 million to produce, which is four times the cost of the usual high budget video game.

Obviously, I haven't played the game, but I am now really excited about these movies. The Wachowski brothers really know what they are doing. Between the movies, the videogame and the Animatrix, this is going to be an amazing new experience.

Beginning this week, more retailers will be charging sales tax. This was a result of an agreement between 38 states (and D.C.) and some major retailers. Internet News claims that this won't affect sales, but I beg to differ.

One of the major reasons I choose to shop online and not at brick-n-mortar is because of the lower prices. A major factor there is the lack of sales tax (granted I'm paying shipping instead, but now with the combination of the two it may be too much). If I will pay the same amount, or less, at a neighborhood store, why wouldn't I? Service and returns are much easier and browsing is much more enjoyable.

The one major exception will be the smaller online retailers, because they usually provide better products and the price isn't the motivating factor. I think we'll see more of a reaction in the coming weeks and I'm guessing it will be more negative than positive.

Nokia annouced the N-Gage today. It is their new phone..../portable gaming unit/mp3 player/radio. It does a lot and Sega has already signed on to make games. It sounds enticing, but someone on Slashdot noted that Nokia often makes very buggy software and this should be no exception. We are supposed to find out more tomorrow. Interesting.

According to cavil.com and via kottke.org:

"The police are not issuing a permit to the rally organizers for the Anti-War March/Rally on Feb 15th in New York. There are many people calling but more people need to call! They will most likely only cooperate if they see public opinion is turning against them.

"Call all the numbers below and remind the mayor & commissioner that this is a free speech issue! The police need to work with the people not against the people. Issuing a permit at the last minute is an attempt to limit the potential of the event. That translates into supression of free speech!

"Please immediately contact the following officials and urge them to grant the permit now:

"**NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg: 212-788-3040, 212-788-3210, and/or 212-788-9

"**NYC Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly: 646-610-8526

"**NYPD Chief of Department Joseph Esposito: 646-610-6910 or 646 610-6910

"We also encourage you to contact media outlets about this situation. You may give them the Feb. 15 UFPJ office number for follow-up: 646-473-8935."

I had a whirlwind of a weekend. I'll give you a brief rundown to give you an idea of what I mean. Thursday night I went out to dinner with a couple friends and returned home at 1am so that I could pack a bag. At 7am I woke up to make my flight back to Chicago. When I arrived, I spent 30 minutes preparing for Snowball and then left for Lake Geneva (where the retreat takes place). I was on the retreat until Sunday morning.

Ok, so a weekend retreat may sound relaxing, but imagine this as a typical day: You have 4 emotionally draining conversations, 3 emotionally or physically taxing group activities, in between you're running all over the place, you only eat a little at meals b/c you're busy doing other things and you get about 4 hours of sleep. Yeah. The nice thing is that the weekend is amazing and totally worth the effort.

So as soon as I returned I packed up everything I'm bringing back to NYC, and filled up my Ford Escape with it, then drove three hours that night andthen another 11 the next day. Oh, then I had to carry everything up to my room, on the third floor.

Snowball made it all worthwhile, but it was one of the most hectic weekends ever. Now I am back in New York and at work. [Breathes Out]