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Why Is What Glitters Always Gold?

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Certifiable Total Recall: Episode 13.5 – Fall TV Preview – Sarnoff Edition (NBC) – P2

Certifiable Total Recall: Episode 13.5 – Fall TV Preview – Sarnoff Edition (NBC) – P2.

Certifiable Total Recall: Episode 11.5 – Fan-Ta-Seee Edition – P2

Certifiable Total Recall: Episode 11.5 – Fan-Ta-Seee Edition – P2.

Certifiable Total Recall: Episode 10.5 – Sweet Tea and Cookiecast – P2

Certifiable Total Recall: Episode 10.5 – Sweet Tea and Cookiecast – P2.

New Ventures for Me, Check ‘Em Out

Just a quick update to check me out on Wednesday afternoons between 2-6 PM CT on WWHR 91.7 FM and if out of the BG or KY/TN area, you can listen live at www.revolution.fm!
Also, my new pop culture podcast that covers literally everything under the sun as it pertains to TV, film, sports, gaming, comics, books, comedy, and anything else you can imagine.  Along with my cohost Andrew Van, we have way too much time on our hands.  Our misery though, is your gain.

ctr.podomatic.com – and now in review by Apple for inclusion on iTunes, but a subscription link to iTunes can be found at the PodOmatic link for the time being.  Enjoy CERTIFIABLE TOTAL RECALL!

Sideways Stories from Wayside School

It’s a book I read during that early period in my childhood when Gordon Korman, Donald Sobol, and Louis Sachar were authors whose works I sought out at every Book Fair.  The story centered on a school that was built incorrectly.  It was supposed to be thirty rooms, side by side, one story high, but instead was built as thirty rooms, stacked on top of each other, one story each.  On each floor, a story was told about a particular student who had one quirk or another, occasionally teaching a lesson but generally being, as an actual critical review put it, “zany.”

Now thirty-two and staring a potential sports-car midlife crisis vehicle situation in the face (I’m not worried, its just for narrative effect), I’ve had this idea for a story that would play off the very essence of Sachar’s idea.  It would have nothing to do with a school, nor a construction mistake or a wad of chewing gum in Natalie’s hair.  It would be from the eyes of an observer, who in this case would not appear in every episode and potentially be an alien manipulating the present to change the past… but someone who made a decision to put aside technology and just start people-watching.

Rather than sitting creepily at a mall or staring other beings at a baseball game, he simply looks out of his window and watches the forty story building that sits across the street.  Suspending the reality of today, you’d have to believe that every resident of Greystone Tower did not close their blinds or drapes and did not care about privacy, allowing for analysis and internal thought of a man detached from real people in his own life.  Anything goes, nothing out of bounds on each floor.  Of course, there’s a major twist that would eliminate the nonsense of the open window issue, but here’s what runs through my head right now as the antibiotics work their magic and eliminate these allergy complications…

Wouldn’t life be so much better — if it could simply be viewed through the eyes of that kid who loved Sachar’s classic?

Wait, wasn’t the first story a tale of an awful teacher named Mrs. Gorf who had previously turned her students into apples.  Now that I remember it, didn’t that story end with the apple-kids tricking her into turning herself into an apple, which they then presented to their gym teacher for a snack.  That gym teacher, was Louis Sachar.

In conclusion, life would ABSOLUTELY be so much better if we all just went to Wayside School.  Most days, I’d just settle for a nightly dream putting me there for fifteen minutes.  This blog gets more nonsensical all the time, so why am I smiling.  It’s probably the antibiotics, thanks again Amoxicillin…

“We were halfway to Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold.”

(I just looked up Mrs. Gorf to see if anything popped up.  I had no idea a television series about the book was done on Nickelodeon many years ago… the picture atop this post is from a stage variation of the book.  Nothing like sunshine, lollipops, gumdrops, and Gorf for kids’ smiles.  That was sarcasm – the picture is terrifying.  As a child, it would have joined Vigo the Carpathian in Ghostbusters II as something to scar me for life.)

Letter I Penned To Kevin Blackistone After PTI Comments About Wrestling

Mr. Blackistone,

(First portion not included as it was irrelevant to this discussion.)
Your comments concerning Bart Scott forced me to write just so I can clear a few things up for you, since I am not sure you fully understand what you were talking about.  My former life, between 2000-2009, was as a creative lead, play by play announcer, and on screen performer in professional wrestling across the southeast.  I worked for several different organizations, many nationally televised in syndication, and I feel I have the credentials to compose this quick letter.

When you referred to wrestling as “fake,” you were correct in the main sense, but I believe you harbor erroneous misconceptions outside of your baseline statement.  What is “fake” about professional wrestling is the outcome.  We know when we send guys and girls out there who is going to leave that ring victorious.  Sometimes we know a good bit about the action to take place inside the ring, but not once have I known every single moment of a match before it was executed.  The participants figure out what they think will work and bring that to the audience.  This process usually demands incredible vocal communication for hours before the match and a very unique brainstorming session.  In the past, wrestling was often much more ad-lib, which is something I personally hoped it would return to, as the participants worked on the “feel” of the crowd and let the audience tell them what in-ring story would give them the most for their dollar and lead to the most success for that respective promotion.  So yes, the outcomes are predetermined, but that is truly where it ends.

Not once has someone fallen to a wrestling canvas and not felt it.  These athletes are not landing on clouds.  The statement that led me to this letter was the comment you made about “fake chairs.”  This concept is one hundred percent wrong.  Fake chairs do not exist.  Every chair shot you’ve seen is from a real chair, and it sincerely hurts.  I have personally taken several performers to medical centers or hospitals after chair shots that went wrong and could have caused death from blood loss.  Even at the highest level, you can find plenty of footage of WWE performers being put in mortal danger from falling on a chair the wrong way or having the chair back connect with the back of their forehead.  While there is a right way to hit someone with a chair and a wrong way, it ALWAYS hurts.  Those in the industry hate when onlookers assume or state things like “fake chair” and state it as fact.  If you need more proof of the existence of real chairs, watch how often a chair shot comes after the wrestler asks the person sitting in it to stand up.  Chair shots are completely and totally real.  It undermines the intense pain that often accompanies these people for the rest of their lives to make a claim that would lead those that treat it factually to assume these shots are safe, do not hurt, or deserve an eye roll.

It’s simply something to think about and hopefully something you may not have known.  Remember, wrestling is fake in terms of who wins and who loses, but except for the most over the top, obviously scripted segments of special effects or the like, everything the fans see is absolutely real.  The sheer level of concussions I have witnessed from chair shots is staggering.  Think about Chris Nowinski, the hero of the concussion world, who has done tremendous work and has been one of the catalysts of the new NFL and NHL policies and thought-processes.  He performed for the WWF(E) and that work, along with his college football, were what drove him towards his cause.  Nowinski is terrified for the health and future well-being of professional wrestlers, and deservedly so.

Jason Martin

Western Kentucky University

School of Journalism & Broadcasting

83rd Annual Academy Awards: The Should’a and Will’a

Disclaimer: This blog will be shorter than you expect.  I simply want to get out who I think SHOULD win tomorrow night and what I think WILL win.  I may also do some hedging, because “I Yam What I Yam.”  It’s been a tremendous year in film from my vantage point.  With the exception of Winter’s Bone, which I will be watching tonight, I have seen everything that matters in 2010 and early 2011.  Each Friday after my class is through, I generally made it a point to go to a matinee (or sometimes a double feature).  I treated it as a reward for another week’s hard work.  It took a drive to Nashville to the home of the Tennessee Film Festival and an incredible theater in Green Hills to see Blue Valentine the week after release and I polished that off with a dessert of Colin Firth’s landmark, The King’s Speech.  So here we go, starting with my thoughts on the hosts.

Anne Hathaway is one of those gals that I can put near the top of my list… since I’m allowed to have a list, outside the confines of a relationship.  She’s got charisma and it will play will with James Franco, who is slowly becoming a renaissance man in Hollywood.  He has no qualms with staying on a soap opera while being a strong Best Actor contender and an emerging megastar.  He seems to avoid the ego and has a great rapport with the media and I expect these two to really have a solid night.  Don’t expect any Gervais-like stuff, but a rock solid hosting job that is a wild card because no one truly knows what to expect.  Now to the awards, from top to bottom… by the way, I’m not italicizing or using quotes or underlining the films, simply because this is a blog and I wanted to write it quickly and on feel, so apologies for that in advance.
BEST PICTURE

Should Win: The King’s Speech OR The Social Network… yep, that’s what we call hedging folks.  I adored both these films so much I see it as a slight to have to choose between them.  Inception was my favorite film of the year, which should surprise no one who knows me and my Nolan obsession.  The best true films of the year though, these two.  This isn’t an elaboration column, but the two casts, directors, writers, scores, pretty much everything was flawless.  It isn’t a question of which of the ten will win, it’s a question of which of these two will win.

Will Win: The King’s Speech – It’s the type of film the Academy loves, featuring actors at the top of their career, and past nominees.  If it went to Fincher’s epic, it wouldn’t be a shock… but I have a ton of confidence in this pick.

Darkhorse: If ANYTHING could derail these two films, it’s the Coen Brothers, two Academy favorites.  True Grit was tremendous and sometimes feels under-appreciated.  That said, this is the King’s award to lose.

BEST DIRECTOR

Should Win: Christopher Nolan was not even nominated, which to me is a travesty when you consider that David O. Russell to me could have done much more with The Fighter than he did.  Aronofsky was brilliant again, but Swan was not his best film, Requiem still holds that honor.  The Coen’s are an interesting case, because not only was True Grit one of those films you could watch a million times, but the Academy Awards adores them.  They do have a shot here… but this one to me isn’t close with Nolan snubbed, it’s David Fincher, who other than Nolan, is my favorite in film history, with Scorsese in third by the way.  While I believed it was Sorkin’s writing that made the film, just as it did for Sports Night and Studio 60 (The West Wing I’m still trying to decide if I can watch considering how much I disagree with Aaron politically and know how he inserts it in all of his work)… Fincher was tremendous again.

Will Win: David Fincher, narrowly over the Coen Brothers.  If anyone other than the Coens beat Fincher, I would be absolutely floored, but it ain’t gonna happen folks.  This one is all Fincher for The Social Network.

BEST ACTOR

Should Win: Colin Firth… in a year that I would rank near the top in terms of tremendous leading actor performances, Firth was just THAT much better than everybody else.  My only qualm was Ryan Gosling being snubbed out of a much-deserved nomination.  Firth’s performance is one of the best in recent memory and he absolutely will walk out with this award.

Will Win: Colin Firth… Franco was superb, Eisenberg was a revelation, Wahlberg was awfully good, and Bridges was as usual (and you guys know what a fan I am of him) excellent – though I’d have put Gosling in over him in this year’s race.  I just remembered I haven’t seen Biutiful yet, but Bardem is ridiculous in every role.  Firth though, was on another planet entirely.  The King’s Speech was a nearly perfect movie.  Many have started turning it into the brunt of jokes and terming it overrated, but not this guy.  Loved every waking second of it.

BEST ACTRESS

Should Win: Natalie Portman… good lord what a haunting performance.  Aronofsky is known for mind-twisting and an air of uneasiness, and Black Swan deserves its place directly next to Requiem for a Dream.  The evolution (or devolution) of Nina Sayers in Black Swan was the one role in 2011 that the audience simply could not take its eyes off of, not even for one second.  The film was great, but the performance was flat out marvelous.

Will Win: Natalie Portman… even with a lot of folks picking Annette Bening in The Kids Are Alright.  This is the one award that would anger me if it didn’t go to Natalie, who has had plenty of non-memorable moments but deserves to walk out with the hardware for a transcendent performance in Black Swan.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Should Win: This is really hard for me, because two guys knocked it out of the park and both deserve to win, but I can only pick one.  Geoffrey Rush was spectacular and truly may have played his best role ever, which says a lot, but Bale’s portrayal of Dick Eklund was as good as you will ever see.  It was painful to watch the self-destruction, but Bale made you forget he was Bale, which is the best compliment anyone can pay an actor.

Will Win: Christian Bale, well-deserved, and the hardest performance to watch in several years because of the character being portrayed.  A true “wow” role for one of my all-time favorite actors.  Hopefully the speech doesn’t cost him future nods, because if he gets his head on straight, he could win these in double figures.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Should Win: Adams and Leo were both awesome, but the performance that stuck with me most was without a doubt Hailee Steinfeld.  No shot on Helena Bonham Carter, who was fabulous in The King’s Speech.  For my money, I enjoyed Adams just a bit more than Leo, who deserved some love for her work on Treme last year, but Steinfeld in True Grit impressed me from the first moment she was on screen.  I will get to see Jennifer Lawrence tonight in Winter’s Bone, but she is not in most of the discussions for a winner from the press despite a ton of acclaim.  Hailee Steinfeld’s work is the one that I no doubt will remember of this group the most.

Will Win: Four could win and I could make a case that they would, but the one that is sticking out the most to me right now is Carter in a mild upset.  They are all deserving, but this one feels like The King’s Speech’s year.

BEST WRITING (Adapted Screenplay)

Should Win: Aaron Sorkin in a WALK.  Classes in writing should be taught using Sorkin’s work in The Social Network.  As a matter of fact, some are already using the source material.  My Copywriting Media class is viewing the film next month as we move towards our portfolio completion pieces.  The writing was superb, but the pacing and delivery made it that much better.  Years ago I termed “Staccato dialogue” for Aaron Sorkin, in that his dialogue is quick and features actors that have the ability to break their words up with a microsecond of silence.  Sorkin loves to have characters repeat the dialogue used by the actors they are conversing with on screen.  Sports Night especially featured this quick-draw repetition and lightning-fast dialogue and it was what immediately attracted me to the show to such an insane degree.  The Social Network featured a perfect Sorkin performer in Jesse Eisenberg, who looked like he was born to work for Aaron Sorkin after seeing him in Zombieland in 2009.

Will Win: Aaron Sorkin in a WALK… seriously, it’s not even up for debate.

WRITING (Original Screenplay)

Should Win: I’d like to see Nolan get some love here, but my guess is he’s fourth at best in Academy minds.  They love The Kids Are Alright and The Fighter, the latter of which I agree with them on, but this is The King’s Speech’s year.  The film deserves it without question.

Will Win: The King’s Speech, for reasons discussed throughout this piece.  It wasn’t Sorkin good, but it was still exceptional and played flawlessly on screen.

MUSIC (Original Score)

Should Win: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and NOT because of what a huge NIN fan I’ve been for the past fifteen years.  I use The Social Network score to study for all my exams and listen to it before all presentations because it focuses me in the right direction.  It was perfect for the film, and honestly might be my favorite score of all-time, right there with The Dark Knight and several others.  Speaking of TDK, Zimmer had another strong score for Nolan with Inception, which would have been my choice had it not been for Reznor and Ross.  Desplat continues to get acclaim for his work, and The King’s Speech had a memorable score, though not quite to the level of Benjamin Button from a few years ago.  Rahman was good in 127 Hours, but it wasn’t his best work.  I would like to have seen Daft Punk nominated, but that was not likely.  Reznor and Ross absolutely deserve it…

Will Win: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, in what I anticipate to be the most sensible and quick speech in Academy history.  “Thanks” and maybe a comment or two and off.  As big a lock as I can remember in this category.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Should Win: Toy Story 3, as good as How To Train Your Dragon was and allegedly as great as The Illusionist was… Pixar’s gem wasn’t just a great animated film, but just as in the case of Up, one of the better films of the year period.  A wonderful sendoff to an iconic and legendary series.

Will Win: Toy Story 3, not even close… unless the Academy simply wants to buck the trend and try to show their superiority here (The Illusionist).  Don’t expect it.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

BLACKLISTING the Academy here for not nominating Waiting for Superman, which by far was the best documentary of the year.  It got tons of acclaim prior to release, but then released and took a more anti-union, pro merit based pay system to the education system in America.  Not toeing the liberal line cost it a nomination, and in most people’s eyes, it should easily have won.  I could care less what wins because of it.

Past that, I expect Inception to win some throw away tech awards.  I also expect Tangled’s “I See The Light” to win Original Song – which is also deserved.  Some of the other stuff most people don’t care about so I will end this here.  I think it should be a good show, though pretty low rated.  Enjoy it folks, I’ll check in with a new blog on Tuesday, probably featuring the NBA trading deadline moves.

The Griffin Dilemma

The King of LA?

“Star” can be a difficult term to define in the age of high definition, high speed, and highfalutin lifestyles.  In politics, a “star” often bucks the trend, forges a path based on principle and dignity, and delivers oratory of a degree only measurable in the stratosphere… perhaps even the thermosphere.  In entertainment, a “star” is born on the heels of a memorable or transcendent performance in the eyes of the general public.  That “star” may have looks or talent, and in rare cases has both.  But in sports, a “star” often has to earn his or her stripes through a lifetime of dedication at the highest level of the respective activity.  A college player may never truly become a star, once he or she enters the professional ranks.  A high school player may be highly touted and may have every major college coach in his living room pitching the benefits of X or Y University, but it may not work out.  Not every ESPN 100 athlete turns out to be Barry Sanders or Cam Newton.  In truth, it is easier to find tales of failure than narratives of success.  To be frank, sports at near top levels is flat out difficult.  While there may be seven rounds in the NFL Draft, well over 2/3 of the college football ranks never even sniff a shot at the big time.  That brings us to former Oklahoma superstar and Naismith Player of the Year, Blake Griffin, and a one year rise, in the words of George Costanza, “the likes of which, we have NEVER seen before.”

Watching All-Star Saturday night this weekend, it was impossible to avoid the 6’10″ beast in the paint.  TNT spoke of Griffin ad nauseum for weeks leading up to the Slam Dunk Contest and the Rookie/Sophomore Game and virtually every sports media outlet in the country has slobbered over Griffin since his opening night game for the Clippers, where he played a large role in keeping the Clippers close against the Portland Trailblazers.  Without question, Griffin is a physical marvel — the guy is a freak.  He’s built perfectly, he’s incredibly powerful, not to mention absurdly athletic, and his number one quality may be the fact that he plays at five hundred miles per hour from horn to horn and never allows himself to slow down.  Charles Barkley continues to make an adept point that Griffin is going to be a scary and potentially uber-dominant player once he learns how to play the game.  Barkley’s thought is that Blake has no idea yet how to play basketball, that once he learns what nights to take his foot off the gas, to protect his body and save his strength for more important moments, he may well be unstoppable.  Right now, Griffin is performing on superior God-given talent alone.

The more I watch of the Griffin coverage and fawning, a new problem is emerging, the conundrum of “Too Much, Too Soon.”  Without going into too much detail concerning the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, it was at least questionable whether the Clippers’ star should have even reached the final round.  Full disclosure — Thunder fan, but Serge Ibaka receiving a forty-five for his (first ever) true free throw line dunk was a travesty.  Javale McGee’s two goal, two ball dunk was the most creative of the night in a landslide, and the best actual dunk of the night was clearly Demar DeRozan’s “Showstopper” dunk which had him spinning and throwing it down reversed with one hand.  The country will never see a dunk more overrated than the now famous “He jumped over a Kia!” jam, which showcased Blake Griffin leaping probably thirty inches off the ground from the top of the no charge area in the lane over the hood of the NBA’s official vehicle, the Kia Optima.  I actually asked the question following the gushing that took place across much of the media (though credit to Barkley and Ernie Johnson specifically with their thoughts that it was not the dunk it was being made out to be) whether or not it was Blake Griffin who won the contest… or Kenny Smith.  He sold it over the microphone, brought out a local choir to sing and introduced the automobile as it was brought out, and then Griffin jumped over the lowest portion of it.  The fact is, Griffin was going to win that contest with ease provided he finished all four dunks.  It was an exhibition for him, though he was outshined in both creativity and execution.

Monday, the headlines were all about Kobe Bryant’s stellar thirty-seven and fourteen performance in the All-Star Game itself and his comments after the game that he had helped to lead one generation but that it was time to pass the keys to Los Angeles and the future of basketball, not to the young stars (at least initially, he added it later), but to BLAKE GRIFFIN specifically.  Really Kobe?  You would hand over the keys of the NBA to a guy who missed all of last season with an injury and plays for a team well under 500 in win/loss ratio?  You would give Griffin the keys when his team will not even catch a glimpse of the NBA Playoffs this season?  Like him or not, what on earth would you be thinking after hearing that if your name was LeBron James, or Dwyane Wade, or Carmelo Anthony, or Dwight Howard, or Chris Paul, or (Thunder – RAH) Kevin Durant?  The dilemma is simply this, at this level of pure hype, what else does Blake Griffin have left to achieve?  What incentive is there for him to work hard and continue to improve?  A danger constantly exists when someone is consistently told how wonderful they are… when he is twenty-one years old.

Here’s the good news if you’re a Blake Griffin fan, and do not get it twisted, I do love watching him play and look forward to enjoying his career in the Association… he’s a good kid.  From all indications, Griffin, though confident, is a soft-spoken, humble, hard-working kid who feels blessed to be where he is and was brought up correctly by loving parents.  His work ethic is seen as one of the best in recent memory in the NBA, joining Kevin Durant, who of course is on the verge of being if not the best player in basketball, the second best.  His motor runs at Mach 3 (the speed, not the razor) and as of February 22nd, the start of the stretch run to the postseason, no signs exist that he is approaching or can even see any sort of wall in the distance.  He looks like the real deal, but how long does it last?  Listening to some analysts, one would think that the Staples Center is debating whether to construct a Kobe Bryant bronze statue to match Erv and the Logo’s… or whether to begin constructing a solid gold #32 Clippers statue to enshrine Blake Griffin.

It will be most interesting to follow Griffin’s career, but there is no question that at this very moment, it is much too soon to even bunny hop to a possible conclusion to his story.  He may go down as the greatest power forward in history or he may be a flash in the pan who never reaches his full potential.  He plays on the most cursed franchise in the NBA (and possibly sports, sorry Cub-fan) with the worst owner in the history of organized professional sports in Donald Sterling.  The Clippers do have some young talent surrounding him, starting with sharpshooter Eric Gordon, who is a terrific player.  But what does it teach both Griffin and those who aspire to reach his level that he wins what appears to be a scripted dunk contest, gets nothing but positive press, and gives indications that he is untouchable in terms of the media and those who claim to be experts?  Improvement and a strive to be the best is what drove that kid in Oklahoma City to turn into a gym rat and climb the proverbial ladder to “stardom.”

Also — he’s still wildly inconsistent outside of four feet and is a very poor free throw shooter.  Before we hand the keys of the NBA over to him, I for one would personally like to see him make fifty percent of his shots from outside the paint — and while we’re at it, actually WIN the dunk contest, not be presented with the victory on the night he declared his intention to compete in it.

Truly, best of luck to you Blake, I hope to watch you for many years — and I “ain’t hatin,” as some of the kids say.