tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64626758545795784562024-02-07T12:29:40.382-05:00angel of wit and melancholymusings on film, music, pop culture, and doctor who.driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-15157555191872533422008-11-06T19:09:00.001-05:002008-11-06T19:09:20.094-05:00Gratuitous Self-Promotion<p>This past spring, I wrote the score for a short film called <a target="_self" mce_href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3XYHFyEhKk" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3XYHFyEhKk">Nancy Picks & Chooses</a>. </p><p>It is a gorgeous film that I am incredibly proud of (both the score and the film itself).</p><p>It will be screening this weekend at the Mammoth Film Festival in Mammoth Lakes, CA.</p><p>You can get screening information at their <a target="_self" mce_href="http://www.mammothfilmfestival.com/" href="http://www.mammothfilmfestival.com/">official website</a>.</p>Thanks for reading, viewing, and listening!driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-76107559033135026802008-10-21T10:41:00.000-04:002008-10-21T10:42:00.314-04:00"The Bourne Ultimatum" Review<p>I finally, after some hilarious Netflix hiccups that were entirely my fault, saw the last installment in the Bourne trilogy. Though only nominally related to the plot of the book from which it takes its name, it was easily the best film of the three, and included some lovely developments of John Powell’s now undeniably iconic score.</p> <p>The film is beautifully paced — the first hour is non-stop cat-and-mouse chase that is never boring and all of which furthers the meta-plot. Powell is given huge expanses of action and extended dialogue-less sequences that he fills with music. The silences are well-chosen, and the film is overall impeccably spotted. There are about 3 or 4 major themes — all of which have been well-established at this point — that he is given ample opportunity to use to good purpose. It also features new and quite sophisticated developments of the motivic material that compellingly serve the subject matter and contribute in a massive way to the success of the movie. His use of middle-eastern (or ersatz middle-eastern) harmonic structures, and the ever-shifting cello licks and hot (seriously!!!!) guitar vamps are as iconic to me as anything Don Davis or John Williams has done, but in a wholly original way. It was exciting and cool and satisfying, and I commend Powell for making such simple ideas so compelling — even when stretched over three longish films.</p> <p>Also, Albert Finney!?!?! Hell yeah!!!</p> <p>All-in-all, an excellent conclusion to the trilogy.</p> <p>Film: 4.5 stars <strong>Rating:</strong> <img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/star.png" alt="★" /><img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/star.png" alt="★" /><img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/star.png" alt="★" /><img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/star.png" alt="★" /><img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/halfstar.png" alt="½" /></p> <p>Score: 5 stars <strong>Rating:</strong> <img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/star.png" alt="★" /><img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/star.png" alt="★" /><img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/star.png" alt="★" /><img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/star.png" alt="★" /><img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/star.png" alt="★" /></p>driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-81324725469806958762008-10-12T10:43:00.002-04:002008-10-12T10:46:21.430-04:00"Blindness"(<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;">Note: I've been invited by up-and-coming film composer Daniel Vendt to contribute film/score reviews to his new website, <a href="http://www.filmscorereview.com/">filmscorereview.com</a>. My reviews there will also be cross posted here. This is my first one.</span></span>)<br /><br /><p style="font-family: arial;">Greetings faithful readers.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">I went to see Fernando Meirelles’ (<em> Amores Perros, The Constant Gardener</em> ) long-awaited cinematic adaptation of José Saramango’s 1995 novel, <em>Blindness</em>, this evening. The trailer was awesome, and with an excellent cast — including Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, and Gabriel Garcia Bernal — I was quite excited to see it.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">To say that this is a difficult movie would be a huge understatement. This is <strong>tough</strong> stuff, and is not without controversy. The film depicts unnamed characters in an unnamed country who start falling blind for no reason. The military-political complex starts quarantining the suddenly sightless masses into “wards”, which appear to be little more than rather nasty warehouses. Julianne Moore, as the strangely unaffected wife of a stricken opthamologist (Mark Ruffalo), fakes blindness to stay with her husband, as he is carted off by guys in hazmat suits. Everything then devolves into a violent, nihilistic <em>Lord-of-the-Flies</em>-esque nightmare, including human squalor and rape-for-food scenarios. The subject matter — and the unflinching eye of the director — are excruciating, but, mercifully, the cinematography is stunning and the performances are subtle and focussed.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">Unsurprisingly for a film about the loss of sight, the sound design is amped way up. All ambient sound is cranked, and the score frequently is as well. This is an effective narrative device, but it is quite abrasive and unnerving in places.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">But so then…</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">The score by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1058460/" target="_self">Marco Antônio Guimarães</a> (his first major score) is a nice idea, horrifically executed. He chose glassy timbres — mostly vibes, autoharp, other metals, harmonica, and electronic instruments - to good purpose. Sadly, though, the timbral choices are the best thing about the score, since it seems to have been recorded with a, like, $10 microphone at Radio Shack and mixed by an enthusiastic 7-year-old. Also, there were times when I simply couldn’t discern what he was trying to do — is there happy music as the women march down the hall to be gang raped so that they don’t starve to death there to cushion the blow, or are we supposed to feel jolly about the fact that soon they’ll have food? Still stuck on that one. Everything is hot in the mix with no reverb, and then the mix is cranked up as loud or louder than the sound effects — even in strange places. I think that some of the score would have worked had it been well-mixed and balanced nicely in the sound field, but it wasn’t. I wonder if that was on purpose?</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">Either way, I felt that the score didn’t work at all, though I did like the sound colours used. The film is pretty brutal, but it sparked an interesting discussion with my boyfriend afterwards, so it might be worth a look-see.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">Film: 2.5/5 Stars <strong>Rating:</strong> <img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/star.png" alt="★" /><img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/star.png" alt="★" /><img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/halfstar.png" alt="½" /><img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/blankstar.png" alt="☆" /><img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/blankstar.png" alt="☆" /></p> <p style="font-family: arial;">Score: 1 Star (for timbral inventiveness) <strong>Rating:</strong> <img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/star.png" alt="★" /><img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/blankstar.png" alt="☆" /><img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/blankstar.png" alt="☆" /><img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/blankstar.png" alt="☆" /><img src="http://www.filmscorereview.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/star-rating-for-reviews/images/blankstar.png" alt="☆" /></p> <p style="font-family: arial;">(One point of housekeeping: I have no problem with sex and nudity in films. I think that Americans are whack-a-doos about letting people see lots of gratuitous violence, and then being bugged by naked people. I have no problem with fantasy and horror violence for the most part, cos it’s s’posed to be like that, either. So when I talk about a film being disturbing and stuff — and I have a strong stomach — it usually implies that there is quite visceral and brutal violence that feels a little too realistic for comfort. This movie definitely goes to some of these places. Be warned.)</p>driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-76162031443642543922008-07-16T12:50:00.009-04:002008-07-16T18:39:50.275-04:00Doctor Who is now officially #1!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/medialibrary/images/800/s4_00_wal_14.jpg?size=800&promo=/doctorwho/medialibrary/images/main-promo/s4_00_wal_14.jpg&purpose=Computer%20wallpaper&summary=Series%20Four%20publicity%20shot.&info=&tag_file_id=s4_00_wal_14"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/medialibrary/images/800/s4_00_wal_14.jpg?size=800&promo=/doctorwho/medialibrary/images/main-promo/s4_00_wal_14.jpg&purpose=Computer%20wallpaper&summary=Series%20Four%20publicity%20shot.&info=&tag_file_id=s4_00_wal_14" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The Series Four Doctor Who Finale, <span style="font-style: italic;">Journey's End</span>, was the number one most watched show in England last week. It's the first time in Doctor Who's 45 year history that it has been number 1 on the charts. At 10.57 million viewers, it was 1.5 million ahead of the number two, which was Monday's Wimbledon coverage. Previously, the highest Doctor Who had ever charted was at number five, in 1975, with the second episode of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Ark in Space</span>.<br /><br />Doctor Who has -- and a tear comes to my eye as I say this, for I thought this day would never come -- the coolest show on television. My years of geekdom are finally paying off.<br />Or something.<br /><br />Seriously, though, Series Four was the best series of Nu-Who yet, and I encourage everyone to see it as soon as possible. The writing is excellent and Catherine Tate is a revelation! It's on Sci-Fi in the US right now, and the DVD's will be out in October.driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-3751982930320691182008-07-01T18:53:00.003-04:002008-07-01T19:00:45.790-04:00On PrideI feel that the reason Pride (with a capital P) is even a thing -- a commemoration of The Stonewall Riots that triggered the beginning of the modern gay rights movement -- has been totally lost in the <span style="font-style: italic;">marketing</span> of Pride as a commodity. Taken as a heartfelt reverberation from the events that led drag queens and gender-queer people to be beaten and bloodied as they raged against the police who had so unfairly singled them out, Pride is pretty frakking awesome.<br />Becoming a scantily clad advertisement on a float for a bar that is advertising the alcohol that they serve, has little to do with countercultural political protest or civil rights activism. Or does it? Does the fact that mainstream businesses use Pride as a billboard contribute to the movement in some way? I don't know. I generally think that the sponsors just want people to buy their stuff, and they'll slap a rainbow flag on it if it'll help with a demographic sale.<br />I hear arguments about the liberation inherent in celebrating the day in the most "free" way possible, stating that this is exactly what the Stonewall Girls were fighting for. (I'm sure Saint Sylvia Rivera would definitely agree.) However, there's still plenty to fight for, and -- despite the always-delightful inclusions of GSA's, PFLAG groups, gay parenting groups, political and social action groups, and, of course, Dykes on Bikes -- much of the festivities surrounding Pride ignore this, or merely pay it glossy lip-service.<br />If there were a clearer acknowledgment of the reason we have the day in the first place, I might be more pleased to participate in it: Pride as progressive, civil-rights movement. As it is, I do my very best to stay as far away from it as possible.<br />I'm proud of who I am, who I love, and how my life is. I don't need to wear a silver thong in public to somehow give that relevance or "celebrate" it.<br />I'm not sure what Pride as political movement would look like, but imagine the cultural impact of everyone who had planned on going to the Pride Parade on Sunday calling all of their elected officials instead, flooding their offices with calls encouraging them to take a stand for our rights. Donating beer and bathhouse money to a worthy cause; fighting for same-sex marriage, taking care of at-risk queer youth, advocating same-sex parenting rights, or working to defeat gay marriage bans, might be a better allocation of resources.<br />Shouldn't we be carrying the torch for the actual event that we are commemorating on that day? I think there is a historical imperative that we continue to ignore because it's not as much fun.<br />I think there is strength inherent in showing the world our liberated selves, I just feel like there should be more societal substance attached (and not the substances one tends to stumble over at 2am on Monday morning after Pride).<br />We are better than that, I would hope.driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-9293609870975442302008-06-22T18:19:00.003-04:002008-06-22T18:35:45.699-04:00Doctor Who News<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/medialibrary/images/main-promo/s4_00_wal_05.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/medialibrary/images/main-promo/s4_00_wal_05.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">So, Series 4 has been the best series of Nu-Who yet! Catherine Tate has silenced all of her critics (or made them lavish her with praise), the writing has been superb, and everything about the story arc has been pitch perfect.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Everyone's talking about the return of Rose, which I am looking forward to, but what I am now really looking forward to is the fan-wank-o-rama that the final two episodes look to be. (Highlight the empty spaces below for spoilers, if you are so inclined.)</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Not only is Rose returning to fight alongside The Doctor and Donna, but -- as confirmed by the most recent </span><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" href="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SvBg6px5hDw">BBC trailer</a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> -- we are also getting,</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Martha Jones, Captain Jack, Gwen and Ianto (from Torchwood), Sarah Jane Smith and Luke (from the Sarah Jane Adventures), Jackie and Mickey, Harriet Jones, and DAVROS!!!</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Julian Bleach, who is taking over for Terry Molloy (who portrayed Davros in his final appearance in the original series in </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Remembrance of the Daleks</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">), has the voice down perfectly, if the trailer is any indication. Additionally, he is shown to have a cybernetic right hand -- which fits in with the fanwank-continuity-dar -- as his real right hand was shot off by Orcini in </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Revelation of the Daleks</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">. They haven't explain how he got back in the chair after he appeared to have been nothing but a head attached to a bunch of wires inside a big Dalek casing in Remembrance, but that bitch had been cloning himself for a while, so that's probably an easy fix.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">I am just so excited. Not just because of the ambition and nods to the past that are taking place on the show...but because it appears that Who is undergoing a new renaissance as it continues to be one of the most popular shows in Britain, on SciFi in America, and in Canada and Australia. Also, Stephen Moffat, who penned the brilliant </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Blink</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, and the recent </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Silence in the Library,</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> has been announced as the successor to showrunner Russell T Davies in 2010 for Series 5. This is such brilliant news and I look forward to many more years of Doctor Who being something that people are once again taking seriously as brilliant television.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">If you haven't been caught up on Series 4, I suggest you do so immediately. It will be worth it and you will thank yourselves!!!</span><br /></span></span>driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-70502688010940041902008-05-23T13:31:00.003-04:002008-05-23T13:33:26.317-04:00Long Time, No PostHello lovely netizens,<br /><br />I have been swamped with work at school for the past 7 months.<br />It's been amazing, but I've never been so busy.<br />If you would like to see some of my efforts, please feel free to visit <a href="http://www.rugbyroadstudio.com">my website</a>.<br /><br />I'll be posting things of interest very soon.<br />The fourth season of Doctor Who has been breathtaking.<br />The final season of Battlestar Galactica more so.<br />Life is good.<br /><br />Stay tuned...driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-57391653232722871872007-10-21T14:06:00.000-04:002007-10-21T14:23:10.675-04:00My Straight, Physicist, More Socially Ill-Adjusted Alter-EgoWith thanks to <a href="http://vagabondscholar.blogspot.com/">Battochio</a> for the title of this posting, he was the second person I know who has pointed out that the guy on <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Big Bang Theory</span> (Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon) reminds them of me. I have only watched snippets of the show, and apart from his build, his hair colour, hairline, his tendency to wear longsleeved t-shirts under short sleeved ones, and his brilliance, I don't really see a resemblance. Thoughts?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://alpha.cbs.com/primetime/big_bang_theory/images/bio/fullsize/jim_parsons.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://alpha.cbs.com/primetime/big_bang_theory/images/bio/fullsize/jim_parsons.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjX2d0UmoRGQqXQsijmq_Y1GLJzHgt3GWaJ6oMhYWISaKoTgdRAXw-1dfksHNO6XcF9gKVbNzKQCxcI74ZOUPSH3LO1I-1LQY3iGBtehp97cKHHFaZHy47AHqyu0LVVHNJiv8vuQ5TjE/s1600-h/Drew+Close+Up.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjX2d0UmoRGQqXQsijmq_Y1GLJzHgt3GWaJ6oMhYWISaKoTgdRAXw-1dfksHNO6XcF9gKVbNzKQCxcI74ZOUPSH3LO1I-1LQY3iGBtehp97cKHHFaZHy47AHqyu0LVVHNJiv8vuQ5TjE/s200/Drew+Close+Up.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123856929265893714" border="0" /></a>driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-22783101273895594212007-09-03T18:59:00.000-04:002007-09-14T13:16:22.317-04:00Doctor Who News<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">As anyone who knows me knows, Doctor Who (the long running UK Sci-Fi series) is one of my dearest passions. The Beeb has just updated the world on the future of the series and its spin-offs, and for those of you who don't meticulously comb the Who-blogs as I do, here are some things to look forward to:</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/gallery/s3_08-09gallery/800/08.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/gallery/s3_08-09gallery/800/08.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><ul style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Series Three</span> continues to air on SCI-FI in the US on Fridays at 9/8c. Be sure to catch the second part of the brilliant "<span style="font-style: italic;">Human Nature</span>," titled "<span style="font-style: italic;">The Family of Blood</span>," this weekend!</li></ul><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/torchwood/assets/images/800/group01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/torchwood/assets/images/800/group01.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><ul style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">T</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">orchwood</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> starts airing this Saturday on BBC America at 9/8c, after showings of the Doctor Who Series One Finale and the 2006 Christmas Special, "</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Christmas Invasion</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">." </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Torchwood</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> follows the adventures of an elite and wildly dysfunctional crime-fighting team, led by Who-favourite Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), who scavenge and utilize alien technology recovered from the time/space rift which exists under Cardiff Bay in Wales. Think of it as the dark, psycho-sexual </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Angel </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">to Doctor Who's </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Buffy the Vampire Slayer</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, or </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Angel-meets-The-X-Files-</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">meets-CSI:Cardiff</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. The show also stars Naoko Mori (</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ab Fab</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, Doctor Who "</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Aliens of London</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">") and Eve Myles (Doctor Who "</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Unquiet Dead</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"). The series premiere is called "</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Everything Chan</span>ges</span>."</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">UPDATE:</span> Torchwood broke all BBC America records for its premiere last Saturday, with almost 500,000 viewers tuning in for "Everything Changes." Of course, this week's episode, "Day One," is the now-infamous "orgasmic alien" episode. Let's see if the ratings...err...skyrocket for that!<br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/images/christmas07.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/images/christmas07.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><ul style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The 2007 Christmas Special</span>, "<span style="font-style: italic;">Voyage of the Damned</span>," written by showrunner Russell T Davies, has already filmed. It guest stars Kylie Minogue, as the Doctor's one-off companion, and classic series regular Geoffrey Palmer ("<span style="font-style: italic;">Doctor Who and The Silurians</span>", "<span style="font-style: italic;">The Mutants</span>"), and takes place on the Titanic. It will air, unsurprisingly, this Christmas Day.</li></ul><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/gallery/doctor_donna/800/22.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/gallery/doctor_donna/800/22.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><ul style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Series Four</span> has begun filming in Wales. The Doctor's companion for this Series will be comedienne Catherine Tate ("Am I bovvered?!"), reprising her character, Donna, last seen in the (wildly uneven) 2006 Christmas Special, "<span style="font-style: italic;">The Runaway</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> Bride</span>." Series Three companion Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) will return to join the Doctor and Donna for the last half of the series. <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">One episo</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">de h</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">as been confirmed to be called "<span style="font-style: italic;">Planet of the Ood</span>," and will see the return of the tentacle-faced slave-race from Series</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Two.</span></li></ul><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/images/173/tardis_space.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/images/173/tardis_space.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><ul style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">In somewhat strange, but comforting, news</span>, the BBC today confirmed that David Tennant will star in the 2008 Christmas special, following Series Four. After that, Doctor Who will take a "lite year," postponing Series Five until 2010 in favour of 3 - 90 minute specials during 2009. (Series Four will air in Spring 2008.) David Tennant <span style="font-weight: bold;">will</span> star in all of these. Series Five has been already given the green light -- however, speculation as to whether or not Tennant will star in the fifth new series continues. It is rumoured that the gruelling production schedule, Tennant starring in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hamlet</span> with Patrick Stewart in the West End, and BBC One's changeover to HD are responsible for this odd schedule. Apparently, this happens a lot in UK television. (So... kind of a bummer, but we are guaranteed at least three more years of Nu-Who!)</li></ul><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/MacGuffin3/mydigitalpics053.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/MacGuffin3/mydigitalpics053.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Series Two of Torchwood</span> continues filming in and around Cardiff. It has been confirmed (photographically, above) that James Marsters (Spike from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Buffy/Angel</span>) will be guest starring as a time agent who gets hot and heavy with Cpt. Jack (hot!). Also, Freema Agyeman will reprise her role of once and future Who companion, Martha Jones, for three episodes with the hypersexual secret society. Series Two will air beginning in January of 2008.<br /></li></ul><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjTDwaW7KsQJqOmPGNsMFkcSzJdEg11P67N6_toMl_ogIwdGDHHu4F93L6c2vsTQQxEgY8ENXW8YV9hMh4ksNffZR9W_OGCGF6IpD0w0d79vtG1mWenr6-24s8LUhqJ0mVG2Mom9XVBMA/s400/dwm385.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjTDwaW7KsQJqOmPGNsMFkcSzJdEg11P67N6_toMl_ogIwdGDHHu4F93L6c2vsTQQxEgY8ENXW8YV9hMh4ksNffZR9W_OGCGF6IpD0w0d79vtG1mWenr6-24s8LUhqJ0mVG2Mom9XVBMA/s400/dwm385.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><ul style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li>And finally, the <span style="font-weight: bold;">other</span> Doctor Who spinoff, <span style="font-weight: bold;">"The Sarah Jane Adventures,"</span> starring the ever-lovely Elisabeth Sladen, will air later this month. It has been confirmed that the Slitheen will be making an appearance in the first episode, a Gorgon (i.e.: Medusa) will appear later on, and, I'm sure, loads of other cool stuff. The pilot for this series, "<span style="font-style: italic;">Invasion of the Bane</span>," was quite delightful, so hopes are high!</li></ul><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">And that's all I got for now. Happy viewing!<br /><br />UPDATE: <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Sarah Jane Adventures </span>have been confirmed to be premiering on September 24th on CBBC. The first episode will be called "Revenge of the Slitheen," and will be two parts.<br /></span>driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-16434572431031949332007-08-16T17:44:00.000-04:002007-08-16T18:12:00.941-04:00The Move: A Brief Photo DiaryHey nurses! I finally made it to Chicago, and the lovely folks at Comcast finally hooked up my series of tubes. So here, as promised, are some photos from the trip. They are in reverse order for no reason. Enjoy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDzXmipSc2pDdYEFlSew5rxNYB91im31-JduD6trJMsubPFdm7X-svJ9SiOYtV2sIUSmtpulN6qMUBJhiSQI_F9hZguxKubmsFqpdNmPyRT7qg0exzNiBfRnoqbAQgP7aBpXnV1mawh8/s1600-h/Downtown.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDzXmipSc2pDdYEFlSew5rxNYB91im31-JduD6trJMsubPFdm7X-svJ9SiOYtV2sIUSmtpulN6qMUBJhiSQI_F9hZguxKubmsFqpdNmPyRT7qg0exzNiBfRnoqbAQgP7aBpXnV1mawh8/s400/Downtown.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099422795693715778" border="0" /></a><br />First view of the skyline of Downtown Chicago (from the hellish Dan Ryan Expressway).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPLGewBMjz8R7AHqSSUvuYhPd5ruprmUOhxEbWSnxO_ryI_hqhpgkpZqqVfXxyCuMY1oTFVhfcR6_WCV4LelBL9sbf-oaGoz7RqR16-FClSulq8mkU7z4oDEuI2ivSd7yMu_Dpc5-v04/s1600-h/Max+on+Day+Three.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPLGewBMjz8R7AHqSSUvuYhPd5ruprmUOhxEbWSnxO_ryI_hqhpgkpZqqVfXxyCuMY1oTFVhfcR6_WCV4LelBL9sbf-oaGoz7RqR16-FClSulq8mkU7z4oDEuI2ivSd7yMu_Dpc5-v04/s400/Max+on+Day+Three.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099420983217516818" border="0" /></a>An exhausted Max sits on the attic floor in Urbana, IL, bracing himself for the final leg of the trip. Or that may just be shock...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXHNQMWsvocuFMEuXN_F48lvE_D0oNcTPJrYJRGt9VqZoywP4tKLg5LhlHhF2WJUmp7xv5K_-3vki_qkHDnaybnm2m8-L4Yy3C6oU5b8Nepol6M3ss4oelPJSi3C2Emn74PkG4Tpi4RM/s1600-h/Illinois+welcomes+us.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXHNQMWsvocuFMEuXN_F48lvE_D0oNcTPJrYJRGt9VqZoywP4tKLg5LhlHhF2WJUmp7xv5K_-3vki_qkHDnaybnm2m8-L4Yy3C6oU5b8Nepol6M3ss4oelPJSi3C2Emn74PkG4Tpi4RM/s400/Illinois+welcomes+us.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099420910203072770" border="0" /></a>Illinois welcomes us...to DANVILLE!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_48RYCDctje0mpS7TfN8PRQjfa81bcsi2oWRNP6UcEPPzLEnZx_J3ww8QYvqfdI-kVwqW_SEnO2vJp_5Z8FgBicT2GkRQ_n2p6gi7unucEA3H-ei-QtPJ5cgnDeEvVb0RW7VZPBzSzR0/s1600-h/Drew+drives+the+truck+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_48RYCDctje0mpS7TfN8PRQjfa81bcsi2oWRNP6UcEPPzLEnZx_J3ww8QYvqfdI-kVwqW_SEnO2vJp_5Z8FgBicT2GkRQ_n2p6gi7unucEA3H-ei-QtPJ5cgnDeEvVb0RW7VZPBzSzR0/s400/Drew+drives+the+truck+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099420820008759538" border="0" /></a>I pass the time by (safely) taking self-portraits outside of Indianapolis, IN. Can you sense the joy in my tensely furrowed brow?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyaz1lgt9ay18-FpLdDOiV_pB3tbbB3MiZE2BDRtO9ZwR95o0w4RuhFgjJA-r1bPdG-_p_VMNePqmEtRTinxfKbnxuQjWDtmYXYLTQJ2IjJxzBwUKP3QrlndxfAvr0sXuOZj6I3fU_l4/s1600-h/Just+corn+in+Indiana.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyaz1lgt9ay18-FpLdDOiV_pB3tbbB3MiZE2BDRtO9ZwR95o0w4RuhFgjJA-r1bPdG-_p_VMNePqmEtRTinxfKbnxuQjWDtmYXYLTQJ2IjJxzBwUKP3QrlndxfAvr0sXuOZj6I3fU_l4/s400/Just+corn+in+Indiana.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099420725519479010" border="0" /></a>The endless flat cornfields of Indiana, which, for me, are much less pretty than the endless flat cornfields in Illinois.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYen04e5vE6YB_P_6pe_kZNT7fdIRMBl015Z4-wXVso4lRVnuGY86cAmIp-KvEh7PZS8sI5oqVrNp-2PRZD1v86vWhiuN5Nb7y8qE9qvzgBxcanYrbHiiwZIJkObCLcEj0w4_SGJefhtY/s1600-h/Best+Western+Pardner.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYen04e5vE6YB_P_6pe_kZNT7fdIRMBl015Z4-wXVso4lRVnuGY86cAmIp-KvEh7PZS8sI5oqVrNp-2PRZD1v86vWhiuN5Nb7y8qE9qvzgBxcanYrbHiiwZIJkObCLcEj0w4_SGJefhtY/s400/Best+Western+Pardner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099420643915100370" border="0" /></a>The alarmingly classy statue outside of our hotel in Western, PA.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglch4LGijJwWSXKLNI-lit3XF1s3wBKZj1bARj4jJIB8HW3MAD1CumoccjL_9E4eRBubbfBJKl6IffvOHDq4KKWkj_BvgRnH4N39Ilgghk25ge_oDLj2Ht_Nh7Tof8gn-wwAegqFUSY4E/s1600-h/Max+looks+out+the+window.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglch4LGijJwWSXKLNI-lit3XF1s3wBKZj1bARj4jJIB8HW3MAD1CumoccjL_9E4eRBubbfBJKl6IffvOHDq4KKWkj_BvgRnH4N39Ilgghk25ge_oDLj2Ht_Nh7Tof8gn-wwAegqFUSY4E/s400/Max+looks+out+the+window.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099420553720787138" border="0" /></a>Max discovers his love for looking out of the window. (Soooo cute!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gZ0BgCCz2HGYfmRpIWpN7FcSzTxqHr70qoRuFsz7qEqYhJefFAGF63MntESo45sxMIxyuze9fC_Kc3TVaiuhkiK4NOPdWkz8_ialwIVMDozzPksLBJKXRziliGD7g16HFrC2fJERP5c/s1600-h/Rainclouds+in+PA.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gZ0BgCCz2HGYfmRpIWpN7FcSzTxqHr70qoRuFsz7qEqYhJefFAGF63MntESo45sxMIxyuze9fC_Kc3TVaiuhkiK4NOPdWkz8_ialwIVMDozzPksLBJKXRziliGD7g16HFrC2fJERP5c/s400/Rainclouds+in+PA.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099420429166735538" border="0" /></a>The sun shining through the clouds (I used to call these "God Clouds" when I was a kid, cos of a picture in a Noah's Ark book) in Eastern, PA.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3h8MgRMd-NmUilC3GPBUkGPKQmfMjnDn0i6niowWetl39FwY21LdTHfz_0NMPlIqA80UHylblUk8UIox1DdtGpZtqlDLj0woaGt5Kj25_pxMP7G2v-v_WTacFrsgR6j1m2IDoRqM3BLE/s1600-h/NJ+in+the+Rain+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3h8MgRMd-NmUilC3GPBUkGPKQmfMjnDn0i6niowWetl39FwY21LdTHfz_0NMPlIqA80UHylblUk8UIox1DdtGpZtqlDLj0woaGt5Kj25_pxMP7G2v-v_WTacFrsgR6j1m2IDoRqM3BLE/s400/NJ+in+the+Rain+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099420283137847458" border="0" /></a>The now-infamous rain-soaked traffic jam in beautiful Rahway, NJ. Please take special note of the sign to the right that says, "Your Highway Taxes At Work!" So encouraging...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsMKzJ5dsGwfTS_gAaVT__DTVGkkcKuYxg0ES2FDBvue1wWgY_hWSs0MsCuyaYsFmnJKiyyWVB1xLCvTZT8bH0JMo2n4ewzXuRo3JnKQwdmfHDx-nQ9pxwHP0Lz_mcqRBpACbQvIhWMY/s1600-h/David&Robt+Move+Drew.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsMKzJ5dsGwfTS_gAaVT__DTVGkkcKuYxg0ES2FDBvue1wWgY_hWSs0MsCuyaYsFmnJKiyyWVB1xLCvTZT8bH0JMo2n4ewzXuRo3JnKQwdmfHDx-nQ9pxwHP0Lz_mcqRBpACbQvIhWMY/s400/David&Robt+Move+Drew.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099420115634122898" border="0" /></a>Robert and David pack up my kitchen stuff in sunny Brooklyn, NY, the day before we leave.driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-41158855384320902562007-08-13T21:30:00.000-04:002007-08-17T11:05:37.058-04:00Day Three: 9:00p CDTSo our journey ends. We arrived in Chicago at 5.00p. I had to yell at strangers to open the gate for the load-in area, and, once we were in, 8 gorgeous people showed up to help me unload. It went so smoothly (apart from the elevator violently jumping up and down at one point, with Laura and I sure we were seconds from plummeting to our deaths), and, after just under two hours, it was all inside.<br />My apartment is quite nice. Robert did a great job scouting this one out. The buzz about the place amongst those moving me in was the fact that there appears to be more closet space in here than the total square footage of most Manhattan studio apartments. I've got storage for my storage! Max is settling in and exploring the wilderness of boxes. He was exhausted and is soooo happy to not have to ride in the truck, get zipped in the suitcase, sleep in the attic, or, really, go outside at all anymore.<br />We celebrated the effortless move-in with a shockingly good cheeseburger (and some beers) @ Moody's Pub. Enormous humble thanks to Chance, Drew (the other one), Jason, Jessica, Laura, Marcos, Mark, and, of course, Robert, who was brilliant to have on this trip, for working their lovely backsides off in the swamplike humidity.<br />The unpacking now begins. Later this week, I'll get the photos up in here. My interweb won't be on 'til Thursday.<br />Thank you for reading!<br /><br />FINdriouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-49256456000293147672007-08-12T14:40:00.001-04:002007-08-17T11:07:09.527-04:00Day Three: 1:40p CDTAfter a tour of the new house and a nice lunch, we are leaving Champaign-Urbana at 2:00p. Should take Robert about 2.5 hours to get to the apartment. I will take a little longer, as I have to take the construction-benighted Dan Ryan and not Lake Shore Drive. So all you lovely folks who's comin' to help us move in should plan on meeting us there at 4:30p. I'll make some calls, but if you read this and are planning to come and help, please call a couple of other people and spread the word!<br />We will have bottled water, and dinner/drinks will follow.<br />Feel free to call me for directions to the place if you don't know where it is.<br />See you soon, nurses!driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-22245116342873485602007-08-12T10:31:00.000-04:002007-08-17T14:59:45.636-04:00Day Two: SupplementalRobert and I, after a delicious meal at Milo's in Urbana, hauled some stuff out of the house (desk for Drew!) and then headed to Downtown Champaign for a cocktail. We hit Boltini first, and enjoyed a couple of martini-esque beverages. Robert found something made with black vodka that seems like it should have tasted more evil than it did. I stuck with cosmos.<br />We ran into a cavalcade of C-U folks, starting with Brandon. Brandon was attending his 10 year (Uni) High School reunion. He and his partner, Kevin, just adopted a baby(!), which is crazy but awesome. He is called Garret and is three months old. Yay for gay daddies! He very excitedly relayed that, yes...he is the dad taking thousands of pictures of every event and I'm sure you'll see a couple here someday soon.<br />Said hello to Danny, who was, unsurprisingly, running to his next engagement. He has the most insanely full dance-card of any nurse I know! I have teased him before about him being the busiest Buddhist in the western hemisphere.<br />The guy who used to stand on the corner of the dance floor at C-Street and idly rotate, back when we were in college, now stands about three feet from the DJ at Boltini, idly rotating. I'm surprised the DJ doesn't scream, "PERSONAL SPACE!" and hit the guy.<br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Three feet, I tell you. What thought processes lead a person to...? Oh, I can't even start down that path.</span></em><br />Finally, Bryan and his friend Ashley showed up (she is getting a Ph.D. in Art History at Yale and is between apartments in Paris and Rome! Must be nice. He teaches 2nd grade.). Bryan talked us into, yes...you know it...going to C-Street.<br />So off we went. The dancefloor is all classy and hardwood now, but everything else is pretty much the same, down to the stupid graffiti in the loo. We danced for a bit, had another couple of cocktails, and Bryan got approached by Lyle Lovett/Abe Lincoln Guy who was, of course, still there.<br />An interesting sidenote. Lyle Lovett/Abe Lincoln Guy looks just awful, but it's, like, the same awful as when he was sitting his "tired old ass down" next to Adam Nelsen back in the day. It's like he's preserved in a perpetually unchanging state of awful.<br />So anyway, we just about closed the place out and came home. We slept really well. More later...driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-43003218928436963982007-08-11T19:56:00.000-04:002007-08-17T11:07:26.268-04:00Day Two: 5:30p CDTWe pulled the truck into my Dad's farm just about right on time, although I made a wrong turn. All the corn...it confused me! Anyway, Max is now sealed in the attic to sequester him from my mother's insane, sickly menagerie. It's probably best. Robert has spruced up and we are headed out to dinner with the 'rents.<br />More on the hopping summer downtown Champaign nightlife before we loader-it up tomorrow and head up to our Final Destination.<br />Almost there!driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-67502418500191511862007-08-11T11:14:00.001-04:002007-08-17T11:07:38.824-04:00Day Two: 12:25p CDTAnd so our intrepid travellers stopped at a Steak'n'Shake outside of Columbus, OH. I had a salad with my frisco melt, impressing myself with my ability to make that nutritionally okay in my head. And now: Indiana! Despite that crow's protestations in the ads, at this time of year, there is NOTHING but corn in Indiana.<br />Tonight: dinner with mom and dad, and some possible forays into the hot Champaign-Urbana nightlife!! Won't want to miss that, nurses!driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-11859673130054664772007-08-11T11:14:00.000-04:002007-08-17T11:07:52.982-04:00Day Two: 11:20a EDTCrossed through WV first thing this morning. Mercifully, the speed limit is 70 there, so that didn't take long. Wheeling, WV has a lovely scenic bridge, but the gentleman with the PT Cruiser, the mullet, and the thick, lustrous back-hair sculpted into some sort of fauxhawk, whom we saw at the gas station on the Ohio border, was neither lovely nor scenic. Max has started to enjoy looking out the window (pics later), which is really cute.<br />New batteries have led to occasionally hilarious commentary tracks on the walkies. Lunch near Columbus in a couple. Ciao!driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-14845553641353099572007-08-11T09:05:00.000-04:002007-08-17T11:08:09.927-04:00Day Two: 9:00a EDTGood night's sleep. Max slept as far under the hotel bed as he could get. We had a BK breakfast (roadtrips are just crap-o-rama, foodwise. Lordy!) and some MadTV. And we're off! Up next, the thrilling switch to Central Time. Oooooohhhhh. Aaaaaahhhhh.driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-12572427564337257252007-08-10T23:35:00.000-04:002007-08-17T11:06:56.445-04:00Day One: 11:35p EDT"I talk talk...I talk to you..."<br /><br />Fuelled by early 90's dance music, courtesy of Real McCoy on a really cheesy southwestern PA radio station (is there any other kind?!), Robert and I landed in a Best Western about 30 miles from the So-hio border. We had to smuggle Max inside in my luggage (he's currently investigating the room and being cranky), and, after a surreptitious "visit with Sheila" we are watching South Park (the Scientology episode!!!) and turning in. Day Two, featuring the unfathomable flatness of Southern Indiana and dinner with the folks, commences tomorrow morning at 9:00am EDT. Sweet dreams, nurses!driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-28081891957440763422007-08-10T18:41:00.000-04:002007-08-17T11:08:24.311-04:00Day One: 6:45p EDTOkay, okay. Pennsylvania is very pretty today. Sun peeking through the clouds (pics later) and scenic rivers. It still takes too long to get through. We stopped to gas up and get some Arby's. Sometimes a nurse just needs some curly fries, mkay! We may not make it to Ohio tonight, but we're gonna drive 'til we give out. Have a good dinner...driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-31354101372353247942007-08-10T07:28:00.002-04:002007-08-17T11:08:39.373-04:00Day One: 3:20p EDTWe finally dodged out of the traffic nightmare. Stopped at a Subway for a sandwich and some helpful directions from a big, pierced, inked, toothless local in downtown (?) Rahway, NJ. They turned out to be more or less accurate directions, and we finally got on a highway with little hassle as a result. Thanks big pierced inked toothless dude!<br />This truck has some oomph, and though I'm fine with not having cruise control in my car, it's making my right leg hurt in this thing.<br />Some looneytunes in an Infiniti SUV tried to swerve in front of me. He apparently didn't get the memo that the 16 foot Penske truck wins!!<br />We're on I-78 now, and caught in some other trraffic snafu. Almost in Pennsylvania. I'll save comments on that state for when we're actually there.<br />Our walkies aren't working too well. Maybe new batteries will help. We seem to get other people's conversations fine...just not ours!<br />More driving now. Will post when next we get fuel. This bad traffic karma is killing me. Thank Buddha for NPR!! Love to all...driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-220016409952017332007-08-10T07:28:00.001-04:002007-08-17T11:08:52.961-04:00Day One: 12:51p EDTWe finally pushed off at about 11am. Max was an unhappy kitty. It was still pouring rain, and we couldn't take the Bay Parkway cos I'm in a big ol' truck.<br />The Verrazano was half shrouded in clouds and beautiful. That's still my favourite bridge in NYC.<br />The right windshield wiper on my car started flopping off the window about 2 miles into Jersey. Robert was, essentially, rendered blind. We pulled over at a gas station, and I spent 15 minutes running around in the rain to find a pair of pliers. Thanks to the folks at the auto-body shop next to the Citgo on Rt. 1/9. Wiper fixed. I'm soaked. And we are now trapped in appalling traffic in Rahway, NJ. Woo hoo!! We're moving. More later...driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-46154689625080608472007-08-10T07:28:00.000-04:002007-08-10T07:39:27.359-04:00Day One: 7.30a EDTAfter a wallscrapingly good time, and no severed toes, we got just about everything, including that bloody couch, onto the truck. Thanks so much to Micah, his lung, my roommate David, and Robert, who flew in from Chicago (to drive my car and be my support structure)! The truck isn't what I'd call the jackrabbit of moving vans. Perhaps the beached whale shark of moving vans might be more apt. But it's newish, the a/c works, and it goes, so once I'm on the highway, the tuckpointing of Brooklyn will be safe again and we'll be fine (knock on particle board). I have a few more things to take down, and then we shove off. Not sure what kind of omen the rain is, but it feels strangely appropriate. Stay tuned...driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-30935756175837368222007-08-08T10:45:00.000-04:002007-08-09T08:51:31.163-04:00Politics: AFL-CIO Presidential Debate (In Brief)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070807/070807_debate_hlg_5p.rp600x350.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070807/070807_debate_hlg_5p.rp600x350.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />So the marginally insane choice of having a presidential debate outside in Chicago in August proved to be a good time (and I know from formal events outside in August!). The crowd was feisty, and the candidates played that up as much as possible. Here is my bullet-point review and scoreboard for the night:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Joe Biden (4):</span> Joe always has some good things to say, but I have to tell you: older white men with white hair in politics just really bore me these days. He has a lot of experience, and he seems a smart guy, but all this talk about bucking the establishment in Washington, coming from a man who's spent 35 years there, is a tough pill to swallow. He also sometimes gets in these hawkish fugue-states that I don't care for. His credentials are impeccable, and I hope he's an adviser in the cabinet. Also, someone on his campaign staff: Please tell him to put his pen down when he gestures!</li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hilary Clinton (1):</span> For lack of a better way of saying this: she brought it. She's from the suburbs and she started with a Bears thing, which was a nice opener for the home field. She was smart, commanding, funny (the "I'm your girl!" line is all the buzz today), and pretty much had them at "Hello." I was relieved to see that she appeared to be a lot less "produced" and more genuine this time around. That's going to be a continuing challenge for her. She's definitely got some inside the beltway baggage, but it seems fresher coming from her than from Biden. Could be because she's a woman and I like that, but I just think she owned this debate. Her one slip up with the "you shouldn't say everything you think when you run for president" will come back to haunt her. Suggesting opacity is a little too Bush/Cheney, and I think she knows it. It was live. People say stupid stuff. Hopefully, her clarifications of that statement will be cool and not too "handled."</li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chris Dodd (5):</span> Again with the old white men with impeccable credentials. He had good things to say as well, and he was not afraid to get up in Barack and Hilary's respective grille's, which led to some lively (actual) debate. He helped keep the proceedings a little spicy, which is good. He also, however, gets into strange hawkish modes that I don't like. Points for unabashedly stirring the pot.</li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">John Edwards (6):</span> This was his debate to lose, and he pretty much lost it. Kucinich stole his thunder with the union crowd, and he read to me as really flat. He tried to get some digs in, but they rang hollow. Even his constant iterations of having walked 200 picket lines seemed to me like he was trying too hard. I expected better from him. As a side note, I LOVE his wife.</li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dennis Kucinich (3):</span> My God was he on fire. He worked this crowd like Kathy Griffin in The Castro. Nailed everything he said. Directly answered questions the other candidates artfully danced around (esp. re: NAFTA, WTO), and really won the crowd over. On two occasions, he just ignored Olbermann and worked them up into a pep-rally-esque froth. He was great fun, and he always keeps everyone aware of where progressives really are on the issues. He's almost completely unelectable, but everything is so much better when he's around. Go Dennis!<br /></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Barack Obama (2):</span> Barack rocks. Second only to Hilary in terms of his performance, he actually bested her in quite a few areas, and he did so with consummate ease. Effortlessly deflecting criticism with a casual smile, and bringing a somewhat severe game-face that is a new and interesting posture for him on more serious issues. My favourite bit of his being when he told Clinton, Dodd and Biden that they have no room to criticize him on foreign policy since they voted to send us to "the biggest foreign policy disaster in our generation." It could have been a serious clunker, but he said it with real class, and it sure shut them up. His momentum continues...<br /></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Keith Olbermann</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >(Moderator): </span><span style="font-size:85%;">His deadpan delivery and focussed attitude helped reign in everyone to get the most out of the event. He was funny and serious and as brilliant as he usually is. Best moderator so far this season! More Keith!</span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bill Richardson (7): </span>This man has a resume that goes on for days. He's probably, all told, the best qualified person running for president in '08. His policies are great, he's erudite and not unfunny. He did some wonderfully progressive things in New Mexico when he was governor. It is a pity, then, that he has all the raw naked charisma of a small potted plant, or at least, on the stage with the others, it appeared that way. As a friend pointed out last night, he should be #1 on everyone's list for Veep. He did not distinguish himself from the crowd here, though, as a rallying figure for the party.<br /></li></ul>Did you see it? Thoughts on the evening? Let me know!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">(<span style="font-weight: bold;">Photo:</span> Charles Rex Arbogast / AP)</span>driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-27886703044170625832007-08-06T01:52:00.000-04:002007-08-06T17:05:28.193-04:00Film Review: Sunshine (****)<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.sunshinedna.com/images/cast_image.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://www.sunshinedna.com/images/cast_image.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >Set the Controls...</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />THE FILM</span><br />If you haven't heard of <a href="http://www.foxsearchlight.com/sunshine/">Sunshine</a> yet (not sure it's nationally distributed as of today) you should make it a point to. Sporting the most ludicrous premise since <span style="font-style: italic;">The Core</span>, but with actual <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CERN">CERN</a> particle physicists consulting on the technobabble, I was praying that, since <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000965/">Danny Boyle</a> directed it, it would rock despite that.<br />It did.<br />It was a marvellously engaging film, featuring a breathtaking scope that should be seen on the big screen to be truly appreciated. The plot wore its influences on its sleeve (<span style="font-style: italic;">2001, 2010, Solaris, Event Horizon</span>, chiefly) but managed to be an entirely other creature, melding (seeming) hard science with Big Questions about humanity and existence effortlessly. It was not without its faults, but dragging narratives and overly complex McGuffins are beautifully papered over with impeccable visual style and mostly excellent performances.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Additionally, <a href="http://classichunkofman.com/Resources/chrisevans0011.jpg">Chris Evans</a> does NOT suck in this, although his character is not, methinks, a stretch for him. Also, the subtext of much of the film appears to be,<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> "Look! Look at how eerily beautiful </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://buzznet-14.vo.llnwd.net/media-cdn/jj1/headlines/2006/08/malachy-murphy.jpg">Cillian Murphy</a><span style="font-style: italic;">'s electric blue eyes are! </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> And look! Look at how long and feathery his dark, dark eyelashes are! Bathe in his creepy beauty!" </span><br />His strange hotness is exploited greatly in this film, and I, for one, appreciated it greatly. He also turns in a compelling performance, cementing him as Mr. Boyle's new <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000191/">Mr. McGregor</a>. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000706/">Michelle Yeoh</a>, who is fabulous, is somewhat wasted in a supporting role, but it's nice to see her face, and to see that she's working. (Seriously.)</span><br /><br />Proving that, post <span style="font-style: italic;">The Beach</span>, Boyle has embraced whatever genre tickles his fancy with serious commitment (see: <span style="font-style: italic;">28 Days Later</span>), this is such a confident endeavour that you would be hard-pressed to believe this was the man who brought us <span style="font-style: italic;">A Life Less Ordinary</span>! The CGI is stunning, flawless, and simply HUGE, and the concepts and the scope are almost overaweing.<br />Overall, a great summer film.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE MUSIC</span><br />The score, by John Murphy and British Techno-Savants Underworld (best known for the closing song from <span style="font-size:85%;">(Danny directed)</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Trainspotting</span>, "Dirty Epic"), adds a nice analog sheen to the proceedings, hearkening back to the better synth scores of the 70's and 80's. I felt that their more "Sound Designey" cues worked better than some of the more synth-string heavy "Emotional" cues, but I may have just been being snobby about their choice of string patch. There is some nice guitar work on display as well, ranging from some lovely ambient finger-picking to driving rock riffs. On the whole, they crafted a resonant, singular, and effective sonic environment for the film. Also, special mention of their ability to know when to NOT to place music cues. Flawless placement in that regard.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE VERDICT</span><br />So I'll give it a 4 out of 5 stars. Despite some unsuccessful plot choices, <span style="font-style: italic;">Sunshine</span> succeeds in being a wholly watchable and gripping film. Smarter than the average <span style="font-style: italic;">"This is the way the world ends!"</span> picture by a long shot!<br /><br />Go see it and tell me what <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span> thought!<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />(<span style="font-weight: bold;">Shirtless pics:</span> <a href="http://classichunkofman.com/hunks.htm">classichunkofman.com</a>, <a href="http://justjared.buzznet.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">justjared</span> </a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Websites:</span> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/">IMDb</a>, <a href="http://www.foxsearchlight.com/">Fox Searchlight Pictures</a>) </span>driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462675854579578456.post-28665624059108135452007-08-05T16:48:00.000-04:002007-08-05T16:53:51.549-04:00This is only a test...This is a test of the emergency blogcast system, in anticipation of LiveBlogging my three day moving trek to Chicago. Stay tuned for more!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">UPDATE:</span> It works! How terribly, self-indulgently exciting it is!driouxcipherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15560530659634022132noreply@blogger.com0