Jason 的个人资料Jason's Page of Love and...照片日志列表更多  |  工具 帮助 |
|
12月28日 Book 7 to be written in 2006As my friends out there know...I am a Harry Potter geek. Not quite an uber geek as I don't dress up as a Wizard to go the the midnight launch of the Harry Potter books...but enough of one to go the the midnight launch of the Harry Potter books.
I recently took a peak at JK Rowlings personal website...the only website (other than the publisher) that can be trusted 100% with accurate information. Many HP fans have been anxiously awaiting some sign indicating when we can expect to see the final book in the Harry Potter series. There are so many questions left to answer...probably the one that causes the most nail biting: "Will Harry survive?"
Well, Ms. Rowling is letting us know one important bit of information. In her words, "2006 will the be year when I write the final book in the Harry Potter series."
Could this mean a 2007 release??????? Please, oh, please, oh, please??????
Full text below. See it yourself at http://www.jkrowling.com
DECEMBER 25th Classified InformationFirst of all...a disclaimer. Due to the nature of my work with the Navy Reserve, I am refraining from discussing the events and opinions surrounding the "domestic spying" issue circulating in the press, currently.
However, what I would like to discuss is the blatant disregard for Classified information shown by many politicians.
It is baffling to me that members of the Intel Committee don't need a Security Clearance. Same goes for administative staff. I don't care if they were elected or appointed. I don't care if they were put there by God, Himself. They get to view Classified information that is supposed to only be seen by those who have gone through the strictest of background investigations. There is something wrong with that...especially when each of them has a political agenda. Background checks should be required for all of them, just like it is for members of the military.
It is maddening to me the things that are nonchalantly "leaked" to the press that qualify as Classified information. Be it the name of a covert CIA agent or US spying practices. If it's labeled Classified (Confidential, Secret, or Top Secret) it is off limits to any without that clearance and a need to know.
I support indictments of anybody who leaks this information. If Scooter Libby is found guilty...he should go to jail. However, this also goes for Congress. Why is nobody calling for an investigation into whoever leaked the wiretapping information? Regardless of how one feels about its legality or appropriateness, this information was Classified. Not for the press to know...not for the citizens to know...and especially, not for our enemies to know. If someone thought it was illegal, there are procedures to follow...notifying the press is not one of them.
Someone needs to go to jail and I will be pissed if there is not an investigation into this. 12月27日 I got a fever, and the only prescription...is more cowbell.This SNL skit just got 100x funnier to me over the weekend.
I never realized that the song Don't Fear the Reaper actually has a cowbell in it. I've heard the song many times, but never really thought about the banging in the background. I saw this skit over the weekend and decided afterwards to play the song. It was then that it clicked...Hey, there really is a cowbell in this song.
At that point, I couldn't stop laughing. I have always loved this skit just cause Christopher Walken and Will Farrell crack me up. Anyway, I now see it in a whole new light and I can't stop laughing at it.
"I put my pants on, just like the rest of you: one leg at a time. Except, once my pants are on, I make Gold records." 12月21日 WarshingtonOkay...I have a pet peeve. Well...I have lots of pet peeves. But, here's one of them.
I live in the State of Washington. In the Beautiful Pacific Northwest. Well known for the Puget Sound, Mt. Rainier, Nature, Coffee, Hippies, and Dicks (as in Hamburgers).
Again...I live in Wash(like wash your clothes)ington. Not Warsh(like...like nothing. It's not a freakin' word)ington. Where did Warsh-ington come from? I don't think I have ever heard people talk about our first president, George Warshington. Have you?
Warshington DC?
Denzel Warshington?
Warshington Redskins?
Why then, do people call my state Warshington?
Why am I ranting about this? Because this morning, I was listening to the radio on the way to work (710 KIRO...it's the station of choice for the vanpool morning driver). They conducted an interview with Mike Gregoire, husband of our unelected governor. He made some comment about something...I can't even remember what it was...and how much they loved the people of Warsh-ington. This just gives me another reason not to vote for her in 2008. Her husband says Warshington.
Come on...Where is the R? Let me spell it: W-A-(no R here)S-H-I-N-G-ton.
Stay off the radio and tell your wife to quit raising my taxes. For all you other phonetically challenged folks...learn to talk.
sheesh 12月20日 Merry Christmas?Okay...first of all: I think this whole "War on Christmas" thing is a little overrated. I don't care what one person says as opposed to another person. If someone wants to say Happy Holidays, whatever. No big whoop. If someone wants to get offended if I say Merry Christmas, grow up. If you're an athiest...get over it. You're in a country full of Christians.
Here is what I am curious about. My wife is a state employee. She (and the other employees where she works) got an e-mail about respecting peoples beliefs and not saying Merry Christmas.
I am all for respecting other peoples beliefs. I will try very hard not to offend people. But, how is saying Merry Christmas offensive? If I say Merry Christmas to you and you're Jewish, reply with Happy Chanukah. I'm not going to cry about it. "Oh my goodness...I'm a Christian. You soooo offended me!"
That's part one. Part two is more annoying to me. How is it not a violation of one's religious rights to tell them they cannot say Merry Christmas? Suppose my employer told me that I cannot say Merry Christmas (which they didn't do). I would say, "As a Christian, I am allowed to say Merry Christmas under the protections of the first amendment and the rules of the EEO. If you bar me from saying Merry Christmas, I will file a religious discrimination lawsuit with EEOC." I think the ability to say Merry Christmas would be considered a resonable accomidation.
Now, as a state employee, I can't understand why someone at my wife's place of employment doesn't complain. I see it as a violation of religious freedoms to make a policy against professing your faith. Christians are protected under the same religious freedoms that Jews, Muslins, Buddhists, Hindus, Scientologists and everyone else is. However, you are not protected under any right not to be offended.
Just say thank you and move on. 12月19日 Jason's Movie Review - Brokeback Mountain (The Gay Cowboy Movie)So...I saw the movie. Part of me was looking forward to it cause it's been getting spectacular (not just good) reviews. Literally, every review I have read was positive. So, I though, I'll give it a chance.
I got rid of all my preconceptions that it's a chick flick, got past the fact that I had to watch my wife's boy toy "do it" on screen with another dude, and I went to watch it anticipating a great movie experience like the one I had with American Beauty or Magnolia.
The verdict...extreme disappointment. Now, I should start by saying that the theatre we saw the movie in had an aweful sound system. There may have been some very poetic diologue, but we couldn't hear a lot of it. Plus, Heath Ledger's mumble made it even more difficult. However, I don't think that was the problem.
I found the movie very unbelievable. Now, I am not gay, so maybe I just don't understand. But, there was absolutely NO sign of affection or any kind of feelings toward one another between Heath and Jake until they had sex. They didn't even make out. Just BAM, right to sex. It's hard for me to buy that a straight guy (as Heath's character claimed to be) would just jump into it so quickly. I mean, would he really even know what to do?
Even as they met in the years after...unless they were making out, I never really sensed a love between them. Lust, sure. But, this movie was supposed to be about love. Just because they say, "I miss you so bad it hurts" doesn't make it believable.
So, I don't know whose fault it is: The writer, the director, the actors, or mine...but I never bought the love. This made the rest of the movie with their respective families, which to me had the potential to be the truly emotional part, unbeliveable as well. The relationship between Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams was the strongest. But, it didn't feel like their relationship was strained due to Heaths love for Jake, but by the known secret. Heath was annually sleeping with another person (and a guy to boot) and Michelle knew about it, but never confronted him until after their divorce. His reaction was violent...and perfect. Hands down the best scene.
Even at the end, in what was probably supposed to be highly emotional and touching, I was looking at my watch. Still didn't buy the love, and to make it worse, the death was handled in such a weird distant way, that it didn't hit me like it was probably supposed to.
But, I think Kudos should go to Michelle Williams. There is a lot of Oscar talk about Heath Ledger, and he did a wonderful job...but I think the best performace came from Williams. From her "WTF" expression when she sees her husband making out with another man, to her fear and anquish when she confronts him on it 16 years later and he almost clobbers her. I would like to see more props given to her.
Anyway, I am left disappointed and a little pissed at the critics. Now, I think this movie is only getting good reviews because it is a mainstream gay movie. That's just not fair to anyone. If you want to be excited that a gay movie is receiving so much attention, great...say that. But, admit that it's a bad movie. Or, at least an okay movie. It is definitely NOT a great movie like everyone is making it out to be. Jason's Movie Review - King KongOkay, finally...my King Kong Review. Also, check out Banjo's under my last post.
Wow. Let me say it again...Wow.
As I mentioned a while back, I had seen the original long ago and it broke my heart (watching a big monkey die is hard for an 8 year old), but I always remembered it and have watched it again at least twice since then. This version felt like the 30's version the way it would have looked if it was made today. In other words, it felt like the exact same movie...with 2005 technology...and Naomi Watts.
Technically, I thought the movie was awesome. With the exception of the dino chase scene, I though everything looked rediculouly real. Granted...I am usually too busy oogling at the action to get a super close look at everything, but I was sucked into the environment instantly. Every second Kong was not on screen, I wanted him back. Peter Jackson did a magnificent job of giving him his very own personality. Well beyond what was accomplished with puppets in 1933, we felt Kong's pain as he lay dying. We felt his anger, frustration, and sense of urgency when Adrian Brody was escaping with Naomi Watts.
I will say, I felt it was too long. Some scene's could easliy have gone. Take the bug pit scene, for instance. I know this was cut from the original and Peter Jackson wanted to make sure it remained. But, it was unessesary. Plus, one "Saved at the very last second by someone who just arrived" thing can only really work once in a movie. This scene was the second one where the ship's captain showed up at the last second to save the day. I am typically okay with long movies. I would rather sit through a good non-stop 3 hour movie than a rushed 2 hour movie. But, the scene's better be nessesary. I felt there were some that easily could have been cut without anyone knowing any better.
Although, I loved the environment created by the dudes at WETA, I worry that blockbusters are starting to rely too much on green screens. Granted, a director can do much more with computers than they can with scenery. However, I worry that the acting may suffer a little bit. I mean, how much motivation can you really come up with when you're looking at a green wall pretending there are dinosaurs running at you?
Finally, in case I hadn't mentioned it yet...Naomi Watts is hot. 12月15日 A post from the ArchivesA Blast from the Blog Past.
I thought I would give you something to check out while I work on my review of King Kong.
This is my take on Weddings.
12月14日 A Little Recruiting AdviceUnless you are a 4.0 or better...don't put your GPA on your resume. If someone asks, be honest...but why would you volunteer it?
I am looking at a resume right now where the dude included his GPA: 2.8.
Why, Why, Why would you put that? 12月12日 Mamma MiaI would like to thank everyone for their sympathies regarding Brokeback Mountain...also known as the Gay Cowboy movie. After all the hype, we didn't get to see it. Turns out is it not playing anywhere in Tacoma. Won't be there until January 6. So, I'll hold further complaining until then.
What we did see this weekend, was Mamma Mia at the Paramount. This was a birthday gift to me from my parents.
If you are not familiar with Mamma Mia, it's a musical built around the music of ABBA. That's right...the hit band of the late 70s. Like the recently successful Movin' Out (based on music by Billy Joel) Mamma Mia takes the hits of ABBA and uses them as the songs in this production.
It was definitely a fun show and a good time. If you are a fan of ABBA's stuff (and I am) you will love seeing it performed. However, I have to question the artistic logic of using pre-written songs as pieces in a new script. They don't add anything to the story...they're more fluff than anything else. And, in a couple instances, I didn't think the scene would have existed at all if they didn't want to plug the song in somewhere.
As my wife pointed out, this musical is marketing genius. The people that were in High School and College when ABBA was big filled the theatre. It combined music of the past with your typical "coming of age" story that is so popular today. There is something in this show that everyone will enjoy. Obviously, Mamma Mia was written more as a money maker than an artistic work...but then again, what isn't written to be a money maker nowadays.
Basically, the story is this. Sophie is getting married. She has never known her dad and her mother (Donna) refuses to talk about him. One day, Sophie finds her mother's diary and starts reading the entries around the time of her conception. There are three different guys listed that could be her father. So, she invites all three to the wedding hoping to find out who it is. But, she doesn't tell her mother. Donna freaks out (Mamma Mia) when she sees all three boyfriends of the past show up on her doorstep at the same time.
I didn't keep my program, so I don't know anyone's names. However, the woman that played Donna (the mother) was fantastic. Easily the best voice on stage. Her voice, more than any other, beautifully turned ABBA dance/pop songs into Musical Theatre. She and her friends who came down for the wedding were hilarious. The best parts of the show where when they were onstage. There performance of Dancing Queen brought the house down. And, it was pretty funny how they incorporated Chiquitita.
Sophie, on the other hand, had one of the most annoying voices I've ever heard. Well trained, obviously, but, way too squeally or nasally or something. Ugh.
I do have to complain about the ending...the ending was kinda lame. Nobody knows who Sophie's dad is but they all proclaim "1/3 of Sophie is good enough for me." Uh-huh...and are you gonna chip in 1/3 of the child support for the last 20 years?
But, besides the end, it was a lot of fun. The curtain call lasted about 30 minutes. The cast came out and sang Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, and Waterloo (which wasn't mentioned in the show other than being the name of the fiance's dingy...it's a boat you pervert) one last time. Everyone in the audience was up and dancing at that point.
Well...that's all. I've got my ABBA Greatest Hits playing. Time to go work.
12月9日 Lions vs Gay CowboysUPDATE: Brokeback Mountain won't be playing in Tacoma until January 6th. Or, we can see it in Seattle this Friday. I think I'll wait until January.
So, it looks like my wife if going to drag me to see Brokeback Mountain tonight. I am so not anticipating that. I have been itching to see Narnia for the last few weeks, but it looks like I get to put that on hold so my wife can see two hot guys make out on the big screen.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
 Don't get me wrong...I am not dreading to see this movie because it involves gay sex scenes (although that wouldn't be my first choice of movie.) I am dreading this movie because it is the ULTIMATE CHICK FLICK!
Take your normal chick flick. Hot guy falls in love with hot girl. They have sex. Something happens to rip them apart. Then they get back together again, have sex, and live happily ever after...or someone dies. Chick Flicks can end either way.
This movie will follow the exact same formula...except, instead of hot guy falls in love with hot girl, it's hot guy falls in love with another hot guy. The only saving grace for dudes during chick flicks is that occationally, you may get to see a little bit o' booby...or mabe a little lady butt. Or at the very least, pretty girls in cute clothes.
NOT IN THIS ONE! There is nothing for me to look forward to here. I will be wasting away eating red vines while my wife drools over Jake Gyllenhal's naked buttox and then expects me to cuddle when it's all over.
On the other hand, I could go see The Cronicles of Narnia. This movie has action and adventure. Fierce battles and Good vs Evil. It's kinda Lord of the Rings: Decaf.
I leave you with the words of Cartman:
Cartman: No dude, independent films are those black and white hippie movies. They're always about gay cowboys eating pudding.
Wendy: No they're not. Independent films are produced outside the hollywood system. They're movies without all the glitch and glamour of Hollywood. Cartman: Well, you show one independent film that isn't about gay cowboys eating pudding. 12月8日 Save Tookie?First and foremost, as most of you know...I do not support the Death Penalty. It's my belief that no human has the right to take the life of another human. Not even under the guise of Justice. So, this blog isn't about whether I think "Tookie" Williams should live or die. Obviously, I do not think he should die.
This blog is about the ridiculous outcry from Celebrities, the NAACP, and others to save his life. It's making me sick.
Do these people give a horses patoot about his victims? Do they care about the 100s of others on death row...some possible innocent?
Quote from the article above, “None of this Hollywood crowd cares one whit about the victims,” says Wes McBride, president of the California Gang Investigators Association. “They would step over them in a minute to enhance their image.”
I totally agree. Then, look at the NAACP. Williams is a founding member of the Crips...a gang made up primarily of young black kids who commit horrendous acts of violence against rival gangs as well as innocent bystanders. Obviously, not the proper organization for Advancing Colored People. How many African Americans have the Crips killed since Tookie showed up? I'm of the opinion that he shares responsibility for those deaths as well.
Williams is convicted of killing 4 people on his own...that's why he's on death row. Do people repent? Do they feel remorse? Sure they do...and those who truly repent may deserve clemency (Thank you, Jee-Sus!). Catch here is...he has never admitted to killing those people. Still says he didn't do it. The evidence is there. Not only does it show that he did do it...it sounds like he mocked his victims while they lay dying.
Also...if he is remorseful, why does he still refuse to give the authorities any information about the Crips? Sure, he can write books for kids and hug babies and like kittens, but it doesn't change the fact that he has shown no remorse for his past actions.
I don't support the Death Penalty...but you won't see me crying next Tuesday. 12月7日 Unruly kids in publicSo, where have I been you ask? I was in a horrible skydiving accident. That's right...my chute didn't open and I pummled 35,000 feet into a field of cacti. I was badly bruised and lost both my arms, but I came back to make a blog entry. Don't you feel bad now.
In reality...I just haven't had the time...or anything really to talk about. Bad combination for blogging.
But, today, I recieved this article from my friend Megan. Check it out.
Basically, it's about bratty little kids in public places. A cafe owner posted a sign (a very polite sign in my opinion) that reads, "Children of all ages have to behave and use their indoor voices." It even came with little finger-painted hands.
Pretty nice and obviously meant to remind parents to keep their kids under control. Well, apparently, some parents took issue with the sign. They are calling his cafe unfriendly to children.
Now...I love kids (sometimes). But, I hate going out in public to enjoy a dinner or a movie or grocery shopping or whatever and having my good time ruined by some little brat that I have no control over. Screaming, yelling, hitting, knocking stuff over. Dude...when you have a kid like that, take them outside, or take them home. Just get them out. I am not anti-kid unless it interferes with the daily lives of people who don't have children...or, people who do have children but were kind enough to find them a babysitter.
I realize kids are sometimes uncontrolable. I don't (always) fault the parents for that. But, I do fault the parent when they refuse to remove the child from the situation. |
|
|
