John Cougar's America Part 2

For those of you who read my first post last Monday about John Cougar I was unaware of the stupid comments he made. I'm sure they are on You Tube so I won't repeat them here. If you missed my post, just go on back to last Monday to see what it was about.

I wasn't referring to his politics only his song lyrics and how I see them. Fact of the matter he is an American and has the right to be an idiot if he wants to be. He can say the most outlandish, moronic things because he has the constitutional right to do so.

He likely has no foreign political skills, no diplomacy skills, no knowledge of how to govern, and used to write good songs. Now he just isn't what he used to be when it comes to selling albums. No big surprise there.

He has to stand against what is seemingly unpopular in the most outlandish fashion to separate himself from the pack of elite leftists. Keep in mind that 98% of all the hollering about Iraq is by the party that is out of the white house so therefore EVERYTHING that is done by the white house is bad and has to be whined about so they can regain power.

This is the best economy in the history of the country and yet there is a candidate who wants to kill it by raising capital gains and corporate income tax. Sound good? Want to know what would happen to your 401K or your pension plan if that happened? It would be close to worthless as it would be taxed to death.

Robin Hood just doesn't exist in this day and age. Who makes up corporations? PEOPLE like you and I who work for them to provide a service to others. A corporation can't exist without us and yet somehow the word corporate or corporation is bad....well that is a perception anyway and I happen to not agree with it.

My company does good my retirement package gets better, if the country does good and the economy does good my pension plan gets better.

People like John Cougar don't understand fundamental basics of why we are all Americans and we should all want the same thing for our own benefit. I'm not saying you can't disagree, not by any means. Protest, pitch a fit, throw a temper tantrum, it is all your right to do but don't be an idiot, research your position and know what you are talking about first.

I Missed Celebreality Last Night

And instead spent it with a closing cast party of the musical. A wonderful time was had!

New projects were discussed as well as older projects and ideas. Many of my friends were there and some new people I was unfamiliar with but it was still a lot of fun! I was invited after I had talked to Beersnob and he said that they were striking the set of the musical so I thought I'd drive up and see what I could do to help out.

It kept me out of the house so I didn't have to watch those horrid shows that I seem to have become addicted to. I'm sure Brett Michaels and Scott Baio got along fine without me.

So to sum up, good time by all, no celebreality update this morning thank goodness, and its going to be a great day!!!!

December 18, 2007

Blade Runner: The Ultimate Collection will be released onto DVD with no less than FIVE versions of the film! Theatrical, International, Director's, The Final Cut, and the first Workprint of the Ridley Scott masterpiece.

Blade Runner is a scifi masterpiece in every sense of the word. The concept is simple, six replicants escape to Earth and Richard Deckard is sent to retire them. One of the biggest controversies surrounding the movie is the theory that Deckard himself is a replicant.

Is he? Isn't he? You can probably find evidence to support both thoughts however I lean towards the He Is camp.

Blade Runner is a dreary movie, it is dark, rainy, gloomy. LA is overcrowded and blimps fly around advertising a new life off world. The chance to escape the confines of Earth. You see a blending of technology and old film noir. In the US theatrical version the studio dictated Ridley Scott supply a Harrison Ford voice over to narrate the story. That is the version I first saw and was amazed with. I was around thirteen I believe.

I was blown away by this movie but all of the subtle story devices were lost on me at the time. I just saw the surface and not all of the implications of such a story. All of the snippets of scenes that have caused massive essays on the film and debate fodder.

Just do a search on the movie. There are lots and lots of sites devoted to the philosophy of the movie. That alone will quickly tell you that this movie alone, well outside of the Star Wars universe, has inspired more debate than any other movie from that era. Its slow paced, esoteric, and the forerunner for intellectual scifi movies such as The Matrix.

There is a huge market for smart Scifi that just isn't being filled anymore. Primer was brilliant but few saw it. The Scifi Channel which should champion good scifi has turned into the cheap effects movie channel. They have bad movies on all the time.

Want to know what a great hit would be? A intellectual scifi series that focused on characters.....oh wait....Firefly got canceled after a few episodes didn't it....Well a sprawling epic that was like a novel for TV....oh wait, Babylon 5 struggled for ratings its entire run but still completed the series.

Well maybe there isn't a big market for smart scifi anymore, however I do know that TV is cyclical and that as soon as the court room drama and procedural dramas are at their end something has to fill up that space and well made scifi that challenges the viewer would be perfect! Lost is a good example of that show. It can be done again though!

I have that idea and an idea to complete the entire series, to tell the whole planned story without fear of being canceled by the studios so that the people watching feel comfortable and get the conclusion they want and deserve.

Great Evening!

Well after I got home yesterday after work I decided to put Zodiac in as I had purchased it earlier in the week but didn't have the chance to watch it since I was at the pub the following two nights.

So I got the movie out of the sack and noticed it was the full screen version and not the wide screen version that I always get. So I fixed some supper and planned on taking the movie back to exchange it. It was Friday night after all and I really didn't have any plans.

I took the movie back, exchanged it for the proper version got back to an email from a friend who would like to collaborate on a short film before filming on the fanfilm begins. We have a little extra time to do so. I reply and then put the movie in.

Zodiac is a pretty good movie, David Fincher directed it who did Seven, Fight Club, Panic Room. He is known for very stylish movies. This one was that and a bit more. It made me want to visit a Zodiac site to see how close the movie was compared to the actual investigation.

Then I check my My Space site to see that Beersnob had messaged me and said that the musical cast was having a cast party in the lobby and to come down after the performance! So around 10 I figured the show was nearly over so I went down to the theater to find that it wasn't and so I decided to walk over to the pub.

It was way too crowded to hang out and have a quiet drink so I walked across the street and an alley to another fine establishment to find it was the atmosphere I was in the mood for. I order my traditional drink and just settle in a bit and in walks Chianti!!!! We have a nice chat and Nick the boy intern gets off work and hangs out with us a while too.

I look out at the theater and see people leaving so I tab out say my good nights and head back over to the theater to the lobby. Everyone comes up and hugs me! I have a great time just visiting until around midnight when the party starts to break up.

All in all a brilliant evening that was totally unplanned:):) I was so happy to have it!!!!

Another Evening At The Pub

What a great couple of evenings the past two have been!

Sass is back in town for a few days and is a great drinking buddy. I seem to have an abundance of drinking buds now which is really cool:) Of course she is going to be gone very soon but Weezy will be back shortly for a visit!:)

I wasn't able to post early this morning as usual, there was an outage and as such no internet, however it is all working perfectly now!

A fairly easy day at work. Mulling over some short film ideas to fill the time up before shooting the Fanfilm which looks to start before September 17. So there is plenty of time to get the documentary edited, we are very close to our happy ending now and then get a short filmed and edited.

Going to be a busy time!!!!

Out Last Night

And probably tonight as well.
After rehearsal for the new show ended I got a call from a good friend and we went to the pub to hang out for a few hours. Beersnob showed up and he is just naturally a great addition to any conversation or get together so I stayed about another hour and a half.

Tonight there is a live band and probably at least one more person who is going to be there. So again it will be supper at the pub and probably one drink like last night with a couple of iced teas.

Man things are so good:)

Everything just goes along so easily now:) Work was pretty good, I kind of have a small project that will keep me somewhat busy for another day or two and I get to be a little creative with it by putting a Dale Earnhardt 3 on a pod that fastens under a jet alone with some black striping.

I know it doesn't sound like much and it really isn't but it is something different and as such something to have some fun with:)

How Do You Spell Trainwreck?

Lindsay Lohan.

Busted again yesterday morning for yet another DUI and possession of narcotics just a few weeks out of rehab.

She isn't going to escape jail time. I can imagine that she faces years and not celebrity time as in weeks or months. She is in big trouble and not the legal kind. People with a lack of IQ and skills to get along in the world are doomed to repeat this kind of behavior until they are serious about changing it. She has never been told no to anything in her life. She has never had any boundaries put up to protect her.

So what if she is talented, she needs serious help years ago and now it is likely too late to change the bed she made. Now there is no insurance company in the world who will touch her.

In other news I finished my play this past weekend and sent it to theater people for opinions.
My vehicle is back with a brand new water pump in it so all is good!

Home Day 2

I was home yesterday and now again today.

I have had a water pump leak in my Suburban for a while now and decided to finally have it fixed. Work was caught up pretty well and it seemed like a good time since money was abundant.

So I called last week and he said to bring it in Monday morning, cool! I did that but he called later on to say that no one in town had a water pump for a 6.2 diesel on hand and it would be one extra day before it comes in.

So yesterday I was home, decided to mow, broke the starting cable, now I can't mow:)
He should have the truck done this morning and everything will be good!

John Cougar's America

Alright when you are in your early teens things start to change. You start to experience things you haven't experienced before. Most the time everything gets blown out of proportion because everything is new and you are starting to find out who you are and who you are going to be. Lots of new emotions and situations to deal with.

Well in 1982 I was 12. Most kids don't have a lot of responsibility at 12 but I wasn't one of them. That is for another post someday though.

There is one thing about 1982 though that makes it memorable for me. American Fool came out in 1982 and with it the single Jack and Diane. The slice of small town America song about teen kids falling in love or lust. Their first real love.

That is the age when you wonder why people (read adults) didn't think of things before and why they don't do what you believe is easier or a better way. You are a teen after all and know way more than anyone else. That is another nasty side effect of all of those new emotions. Omnipotence.

So in 1982 John Cougar, as he was known back then (he has multiple name changes in the ensuing years of his career) releases an album of anthems for the young. He strikes a collective nerve in America and they take notice and he has a long career with probably the biggest release being 1985's Scarecrow, he was John Cougar Mellencamp at the time.

With the imagery in the video of eating outside by a Tasty Freeze, chili dogs, motorcycles, driving by a lake, and essentially everything you really want as a coming of age in America late teen. It all represents freedom. You have your dreams and there is nothing to stand in your way, just go get them. How hard could it be? Seriously, what could go wrong?

Oh yeah, the other part of the song, Life goes on long after the thrill of living is gone. That really comes into play in John Cougar's next release Uh-huh with Pink Houses and the line about the guy discovering at a young age he is at his destination which isn't much after aspiring to be President. What a let down that must be.

Does life go on after the thrill of living is gone? Ask me a few years ago and I'd have said yes. Now I'm positive the thrill is what you make it out to be. It depends on if you have found out what you are living for or not. If you know what you want to do, if you have discovered your passion then emphatically NO, life goes on but you look forward to each day with a new sense of excitement!

If you have no clue as to what you want to do and have given no thought to it, yes, you are doomed to a life on a treadmill. So from Jack and Diane to Pink Houses these are songs for those people in America who don't really have an idea of what they want. For those people who don't have a passion for anything or haven't discovered it yet.

I happened to have figured it out a few years ago. Since then every single day is an opportunity to create, it is just a matter of if I create something or not. If you find your passion it really doesn't matter if you can or can't make a living at it. You are doing what you love to do. What you want to do every day, day after day. It can change too! There aren't any limits, it can evolve.

It is vitally important to find your passion. Once you narrow that down you find ambition and motivation. Things start to go better for you. You have a destination and all kind of other 'tions to go with it!

Ask yourself, are you on the treadmill or are you living your passion? Have you found it yet? When are you going to start looking?

There is a P.S. to this post and that would be how many people actually quote James Dean? Out of all the Hollywood stars to quote and imitate he probably has the least amount of imitators out there.

Camera Changing Day!

So there I am, just relaxing all day long until about 2:30 when Beersnob calls me and asks me if I have an old camera to replace the ancient camera at the theater. So I round up everything except the important cable that goes from the charger to the camera to run it on DC.

We drive over to Radio Shack and see if they have any kind of cable. They don't.
Se we walk to Rex's to see if they might have a cable and check prices on a new camera that would work. They don't and $179.00.
We go by K-Mart to see if they have a camera, they don't.

We decide to head back to the theater and put the ancient camera back up. We get there and get the camera hooked back up only to find that it wasn't working now. We mess with it for at least an hour and a half trying everything to get it going again to no avail.

So now we really have a problem since the production was going on in about three hours and there would be no monitors in the green room or the dressing rooms. The actors would have a tougher time with their on stage cues. They are just very handy to have and now they wouldn't have them.

I take his car and come back to my house to see if I can find the cable. I find every single cable I have ever lost but that one. So I head back to the theater and give the bad news. We decide to head back to Rex's and get the cheap camera and just have the theater reimburse Beersnob for the camera and cables that have to be purchased.

We get back to the theater with camera and cables, hook it all up in just a few minutes and amazingly it works the first time! The monitors look great! Everyone is happy with the much improved quality of the picture and we had a project to fix for the day!

A Drive And An Hour

Last night I decided to take a drive over to an Indian Casino and unwind for a bit. It is about an hour over and back so it was just me, my Sirius and the NFL channel, and some money.

I actually did pretty decent, had a lot of fun, and got some supper at the same time. I was up quite a bit but that was just shortly into my visit and what fun is that to only stay a few minutes? I wanted to hang out and play. So since it was expendable cash I decided to keep playing. I wound up about sixty down but you know what?

So what. Sixty dollars is nothing compared to the fun I wanted to have!

I just wanted to play the money was irrelevant.

After about an hour I felt better and came on back home. Made it in around 9 and chilled out the rest of the evening feeling pretty good!

If you get the urge, just go out and play a little bit.

752-753

Barroids hit two homers yesterday after going 0-21 in his last at bats.

If no one bans him from baseball soon he will break the record which will be a massive black eye to a sport that has gone fifteen rounds with Tyson, Holyfield, and Foreman in back to back to back fights.

This is why people don't care about baseball anymore and the NFL is king! Baseball is for elitist owners who have their set ways and want no interference from anyone except congress. They fear congress will take away their exemptions so when congress talks they listen closely.

I have only watched very few games since the World Series strike. I've watched the '04 ALCS and the World Series that year. I watched Dice-K pitch. I've watched the meaningful games between the Sox and the Yanks. But outside of all that, no. Don't care.

Bring on the NFL! At least the Commissioner Roger Goodell takes a stand on screw ups. Pacman Jones? OUT! Chris Henry? Suspended! We have yet to see what happens to Vick but I'm sure it will be something.

Bud Selig has made no plans to see Bonds break the record. If it had been a good guy he would have followed every game when it got this close. But it isn't a good guy, it is Barry Bonds. The poster child for what is wrong with baseball.

At this point I can only hope that Bonds does it on the road. He will have boos rain down upon him while half of the crowd will recognize the magnitude of 756 and applaud albeit probably muffled. Then we only have to wait around six to eight years for Arod to catch up.

Say what you want about Arod and most people do, but he isn't a cheater. He is a naturally great hitter who has head problems in the clutch. His surrounding environment bothers him and he can't shut it all out. The newspapers rake him over the coals when he only hits 40+ homers per year and 150 RBIs with a batting average in the mid .300s.

So my friends, cheer for the accomplishment, be classy and don't kneecap Bonds with a Louisville Slugger.

Fun Evening!

After Chianti's visit there was a final dress rehearsal for the musical this year at the theater.

I didn't attend the musical but I did hang out afterwards with friends for a few hours and that was great as always! Interesting conversation was abundant. Observations were made. Laughs were had. All in all a very good and fun time!

Thanks guys, you made for a wonderful evening!

Sadistic

My wonderful friend and fellow Drinkbuster Chianti came over to have a drink after work and of course we chatted Michael Vick.

Neither of us got it. We couldn't wrap our heads around the brutal nature of these people. Not the concept of the fighting dogs, not the execution of the losing dogs in sadistic ways, not the gambling aspect, none of it.

She had no answers. I had no answers.

It is honestly beyond my understanding. This is cruel, inhumane, and the element that counts this activity among their hobbies are among the lowest of the low. I'm not talking about animals that are raised for food, I'm talking domesticated animals. Animals that you see every day that love you and you love.

Anyone who knows me knows I wanted to be a boxer as a late teen. It appealed to me but it is a violent sport. You are alone in the ring versus another human being. There is an aspect of it that leaves no room for excuses, it is honest. You have worked hard to be there and are in great shape in order to be there. You want to be there and have made that choice. You made a whole string of choices to be into that position.

The dogs have no choice in the matter. They are helpless. They deserve to be protected.
Children are helpless and need to be protected. What real man would allow a child to be abused and not protect them with every drop of your blood? A small helpless child or a helpless animal.

My days of wanting to be a boxer are long over but if you hurt a child, an animal, a woman, one of my friends, one of my family around me and my usual calm and unflappable exterior will quickly turn into swift and violent action. I'm average sized but properly motivated I can be a mean and brutal individual. I hope I'm never in the position to be that person.

People of Michael Vick's ilk are degenerates. If you have any connection to dog fighting you deserve every single bad thing that happens to you and more. You deserve to have your life burned down around you. You deserve to be treated as you treated the dogs. You deserve to fight another dog fighter and if you lose you deserve to be executed.

The Ballad Of Michael Vick

He came into the league with such promise! After being unstoppable at VTech, Vick looked like he had the whole world as an open oyster. Never understood that phrase but whatever. I mean have you seen an open oyster? Not pretty, how about a new phrase!

Vick as if he was going to rob the open bank vault of life! More applicable but not quite right. Anyway, he had commercials, the cover of Maddens, a massive contract, and all the talent in the world to do what he wanted on the field. What he didn't have is a moral compass.

Vick has been a train wreck the past couple of seasons. Ron Mexico (research it), the water bottle/airport incident, and dog fighting.

How low of a human being do you have to be to enjoy dog fighting? I can almost understand seal clubbing since it is a population control of sorts and is for fur but dog fighting is just out and out cruel. It is for the sole purpose of watching your dog kill another dog or vice versa. You raise mean dogs to kill other vicious dogs. Yes you can do it for money but you know something? Vick had a hundred million dollar contract.

He didn't need the money. His relatives didn't need the money. No one around Vick needed any money. Vick was involved, his cousin was involved, I saw a report on ESPN where a undercover guy reported that his dog beat Vick's dog and he witnessed him at the fights several times.

Barry Bonds is a jerk, a cheater, the epitome of the spoiled, rich, athlete who hates everyone and is a miserable human being and I would stand up and cheer, find the guy and buy him a drink if someone kneecapped him before he broke Hammerin' Hanks' record but at least he isn't Michael Vick.

Vick is a low life, the lowest of the low. I hope he goes to prison forever. I hope his family goes to prison forever. I hope all dog fighters all over the States go to prison forever.

I hope that with everything Vick has now, it is gone in a few months. Confiscated by the Feds and put up for public auction, purchased by a animal sanctuary and they turn his mansions into a animal refuge for crippled pets. I hope that the Falcons release him out right, I hope the commissioner bans him for life, and I hope he never plays a down of football again as long as he lives.

Plugging Away!

My script is a week old today! It is growing, slowly now but still growing.

I have a lot to add to it right now. The physical stuff I left out, when the actors come in, leave, what they do. You know descriptive stuff.

It might not take a lot of that to make it better.

I made three paintings last night however it was way too hot, even in the shade. The parts I needed to dry slowly dried way too fast, even with clear coat sprayed over the top to keep it from drying quickly. I just need cooler weather to make them good, as they are, they just don't look finished.

Monday Part 2

The second half of Monday is at the plate now. But you know something? It's alright!
No big deal at all. I can handle this day like any other day and its going to be pretty good no matter what it is called!

So I worked yesterday, big deal. I earned a lot of money for one day, there wasn't a lot of work to do so it was mostly my Ipod and me. I listened to the NFL channel on Sirius for a while. Had lunch and still got plenty of rest.

Its already a good day, I've got a house, utilities, a great AC since it is supposed to get hot today, I'm only a few days away from payday which is always a good day too. So with everything considered a one day weekend isn't so bad.

One of the best things is that I'm not Bret Michaels or Flavor Flav! While there would be benefits to being someone like them, there are also a lot more drawbacks like a single digit IQ and a lack of many skills we non music stars take for granted.

Just When You Think

Flavor of love set a new low in TV along comes Rock of Love with Bret Michaels.
The rock n roll version of Flavor of love.

Twenty one women are competing to get into Bret's pants. 90% blond and white, 99% dumb, and I'm not kidding.

I'm not joking not in the least. That includes Bret himself.

So far there has been such wisdom as, "At fifteen I was told the secret of relationships. There are lots of women you want to be friends with, there are lots more you want to have sex with, when you find those few that you want to have sex with AND be friends with, well then that is the rock of love."

Along with the classy, "I was named Miss Hooters from Indiana. That gives me all the tools I need to get my man."

They start to bond and become BFFs forever and ever (screech) and then Bret takes pictures of all of the women, kisses them, and sends them on their way. Followed by, "When I saw Tiffany, there was part of me that just said I want to make love right now and another part that said she was on a lot of chemicals and that really turned me on."

How bad can TV get? This should be on network TV, that is how bad this show is.
This show is a conversational train wreck. It is hilarious and at the same time scary.
It isn't as bad as I Love New York, she was just a special kind of crazy. I really felt like scouring with comet after watching that show.

My show prediction is Bret has sex with all of these women, probably more than once, there will be lots of cat fights, lots of tears, lots of drama, and a sequel show.

It's Monday Part 1

I'm up to thirty nine pages now in the script! I can add probably another ten easy. That will make it a good length for a stage production.

It is going to be fairly complex with two separate stages going so it might actually tire an audience as well as the cast. It should run just over an hour at fifty pages. This is a great project! I think people will like the idea when they read it and the actors will be challenged by their roles.

So yeah, it is Monday part 1 for me. I am about ready to head into work today and as with most things, I look at the bright side of it and choose to feel good anyway. I can't do anything about it, this is mandatory and it'll pay really well. There will be a strong possibility of this happening over the next eight weeks.

It looks like it is going to get hot today. No rain in the forecast until mid-week.

It is also that time of the year when Fantasy Football starts to dominate my time off!!!
Time to start doing research and homework! The NFL channel will start being the only channel on Sirius I listen to just to get the edge over my other leaguemates.

Thirty Pages!!!!

Yes my friends I have reached the thirty page mark in my stage project! Not bad huh?
Again my TV never came on last night. Amazing for me but true. I'm averaging around five pages per day.

I keep listening to the file on which this is based, I keep reading the original transcript. I'm at a point now where there needs to be come creative writing because the original takes a big turn and it isn't as easy to write in the context of this story.

I'm solving it though, it will just take some tweaking and persistence.

Well today is my only day off. Tomorrow is a full work day. That's going to make for a long week at work. The good thing is that tomorrow is the last day you can work and still have the money on the next payday.

Full speed ahead!!!!