Friday, March 21, 2014
Buying What He's Selling
The first thing I thought when I read a tweet that Duke's coach congratulated Mercer's team in their locker room after the game was, and without any hesitation, that conniving bastard is trying to rewrite the headline. Instead of the headline being "Duke loses in first round," it becomes "Coach K magnanimously congratulates winning team." And, right now, the headline on the main page and the sports page of USA Today is "Coach K’s classy move after loss." It is a self-serving move and nothing else. Win or lose, it has to be about him.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
The Real Home Court Advantage
Despite being a high seed, UofI was not allowed to host their first NIT game due to long scheduled renovation work being done on Assembly Hall, err, SFC. So they were shipped out to Boston. Not an enviable situation against an always dangerous Patriot League team, you say? Well, that disadvantage was greatly diminished when the crowd turned out to be in favor of UofI. One estimate put the crowd at 1,000 Illini fans, with the remaining 327 cheering for BU. How is that possible? I don't know. 327 would seem to be a really weak turnout for the hometown school, especially one who should have developed a solid following thanks to a 24-10 record. Some of the Illini fans must have traveled, but I doubt that number could have been very large as Boston just is not a great vacation destination this time of year. The vast majority of the fans must have come from UofI's local alumnae base in the Boston area.
Did it actually matter? Don't underestimate the power of crowd support, especially when your team is trying to come back from 17 points down.
Did it actually matter? Don't underestimate the power of crowd support, especially when your team is trying to come back from 17 points down.
Monday, March 17, 2014
It's catching
The catchiest Beatles song? When I say catchy, I mean the type of song you just cannot get out of your head--not necessarily the best. I can understand it when some people would give this distinction to a Ringo song, but I am actually going with a song I really like, and haven't heard it so many times that I am sick of it.
Rocky Raccoon, not to be confused with Rocket Raccoon in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy, is that song for me. I normally prefer John songs, but this Paul song is perfect for what it is. As with most of the white album songs, I prefer the demo version. If you haven't heard the white album demos, well, you really need to.
Now somewhere in the black mountain hills of Dakota
There lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon
And one day his woman ran off with another guy
Hit young Rocky in the eye Rocky didn't like that
He said I'm gonna get that boy
So one day he walked into town
Booked himself a room in the local saloon
Rocky Raccoon checked into his room
Only to find Gideon's bible
Rocky had come equipped with a gun
To shoot off the legs of his rival
His rival it seems had broken his dreams
By stealing the girl of his fancy
Her name was Magil and she called herself Lil
But everyone knew her as Nancy
Now she and her man who called himself Dan
Were in the next room at the hoe down
Rocky burst in and grinning a grin
He said Danny boy this is a showdown
But Daniel was hot, he drew first and shot
And Rocky collapsed in the corner, ah
D'da d'da d'da da da da
D'da d'da d'da da da da
D'da d'da d'da da d'da d'da d'da d'da
Do do do do do do
D'do d'do d'do do do do
D'do d'do d'do do do do
D'do d'do d'do do do d'do d'do d'do d'do
Do do do do do do
Now the doctor came in stinking of gin
And proceeded to lie on the table
He said Rocky you met your match
And Rocky said, doc it's only a scratch
And I'll be better I'll be better doc as soon as I am able
And now Rocky Raccoon he fell back in his room
Only to find Gideon's bible
Gideon checked out and he left it no doubt
To help with good Rocky's revival, ah
Oh yeah, yeah
D'do d'do d'do do do do
D'do d'do d'do do do do
D'do d'do d'do do do d'do d'do d'do d'do
Do do do do do do
D'do d'do d'do do do do, come on, Rocky boy
D'do d'do d'do do do do, come on, Rocky boy
D'do d'do d'do do do d'do d'do d'do d'do
The story of Rocky there
Rocky Raccoon, not to be confused with Rocket Raccoon in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy, is that song for me. I normally prefer John songs, but this Paul song is perfect for what it is. As with most of the white album songs, I prefer the demo version. If you haven't heard the white album demos, well, you really need to.
Now somewhere in the black mountain hills of Dakota
There lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon
And one day his woman ran off with another guy
Hit young Rocky in the eye Rocky didn't like that
He said I'm gonna get that boy
So one day he walked into town
Booked himself a room in the local saloon
Rocky Raccoon checked into his room
Only to find Gideon's bible
Rocky had come equipped with a gun
To shoot off the legs of his rival
His rival it seems had broken his dreams
By stealing the girl of his fancy
Her name was Magil and she called herself Lil
But everyone knew her as Nancy
Now she and her man who called himself Dan
Were in the next room at the hoe down
Rocky burst in and grinning a grin
He said Danny boy this is a showdown
But Daniel was hot, he drew first and shot
And Rocky collapsed in the corner, ah
D'da d'da d'da da da da
D'da d'da d'da da da da
D'da d'da d'da da d'da d'da d'da d'da
Do do do do do do
D'do d'do d'do do do do
D'do d'do d'do do do do
D'do d'do d'do do do d'do d'do d'do d'do
Do do do do do do
Now the doctor came in stinking of gin
And proceeded to lie on the table
He said Rocky you met your match
And Rocky said, doc it's only a scratch
And I'll be better I'll be better doc as soon as I am able
And now Rocky Raccoon he fell back in his room
Only to find Gideon's bible
Gideon checked out and he left it no doubt
To help with good Rocky's revival, ah
Oh yeah, yeah
D'do d'do d'do do do do
D'do d'do d'do do do do
D'do d'do d'do do do d'do d'do d'do d'do
Do do do do do do
D'do d'do d'do do do do, come on, Rocky boy
D'do d'do d'do do do do, come on, Rocky boy
D'do d'do d'do do do d'do d'do d'do d'do
The story of Rocky there
Monday, March 3, 2014
Another AA Down the Toilet
They have one year to program a decent show...and that is the best they can come up with? What has made this show so bad is that there is really no incentive to make the show better. They will still pull in the ratings, and there really has been no correlation between "bad shows" and lower ratings in the show's history. It is similar to the Super Bowl, where this year's blow out should have produced really low ratings, but didn't. Even worse is the realization that The Golden Globes is infinitely better, with better hosts and a brisker show.
How many minutes did Ellen spend in the audience? Was it worth it? Would not that time be better spent allowing Steve Martin and Angela Landsbury to accept their awards during the main show? It is really disgraceful that the honorary Oscars are pushed to another ceremony. It is like they do not really count. It certainly makes more sense to show them than the shorts awards.
Interesting how some people had their Ellen narrative written before even watching the show. It was assumed she would be "nice," and yet the Liza joke was way worse than anything Seth MacFarlane did last year. Plus, if you are going to refer to a woman as a man, you had better make sure the joke is funny, rather than a toss off line. Perhaps the worst thing about this year's show were my flashbacks to last year, thinking it was not so bad after all. And for someone who likes to banter with the audience, shouldn't Ellen be better at improvisation and impromptu one liners? Jonah Hill is one of the best at those skills, but she barely involved him. George Clooney's presence would have helped.
The "clips from the past" segments should be eliminated if they cannot come up with better montages than that. It really seems like no thought is put into them at all, except for trying to follow the lose theme that no one cares about. The Wizard of Oz tribute was lame. When the announcement was made about Judy Garland's kids attending, I wondered what they would do or say. It turns out they would do nothing, except be the butt of jokes. I did think that Pink did the best job she possibly could with that song, but she simply did not have the pipes to really do it justice.
Which brings me to those singers who can no longer sing. Bette Midler cannot sing like she used to, so why have her sing anything? That ruined one of the few positives in the show, which is the In Memoriam segment, where they eradicated the applause meter and managed to provide an almost fully updated list of names. Darlene Love...I love her enthusiasm but the singing was excruciatingly bad.
The show has all the makings of something that was thrown together in a week, rather than the months of thought and preparation that (presumably) went into it.
Here is a suggestion: ask Colbert to host the show. Unfortunately, I am guessing that they already did, and he turned down the offer because he realizes the train-wreck nature of the production.
How many minutes did Ellen spend in the audience? Was it worth it? Would not that time be better spent allowing Steve Martin and Angela Landsbury to accept their awards during the main show? It is really disgraceful that the honorary Oscars are pushed to another ceremony. It is like they do not really count. It certainly makes more sense to show them than the shorts awards.
Interesting how some people had their Ellen narrative written before even watching the show. It was assumed she would be "nice," and yet the Liza joke was way worse than anything Seth MacFarlane did last year. Plus, if you are going to refer to a woman as a man, you had better make sure the joke is funny, rather than a toss off line. Perhaps the worst thing about this year's show were my flashbacks to last year, thinking it was not so bad after all. And for someone who likes to banter with the audience, shouldn't Ellen be better at improvisation and impromptu one liners? Jonah Hill is one of the best at those skills, but she barely involved him. George Clooney's presence would have helped.
The "clips from the past" segments should be eliminated if they cannot come up with better montages than that. It really seems like no thought is put into them at all, except for trying to follow the lose theme that no one cares about. The Wizard of Oz tribute was lame. When the announcement was made about Judy Garland's kids attending, I wondered what they would do or say. It turns out they would do nothing, except be the butt of jokes. I did think that Pink did the best job she possibly could with that song, but she simply did not have the pipes to really do it justice.
Which brings me to those singers who can no longer sing. Bette Midler cannot sing like she used to, so why have her sing anything? That ruined one of the few positives in the show, which is the In Memoriam segment, where they eradicated the applause meter and managed to provide an almost fully updated list of names. Darlene Love...I love her enthusiasm but the singing was excruciatingly bad.
The show has all the makings of something that was thrown together in a week, rather than the months of thought and preparation that (presumably) went into it.
Here is a suggestion: ask Colbert to host the show. Unfortunately, I am guessing that they already did, and he turned down the offer because he realizes the train-wreck nature of the production.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Award Inanity
If one is looking for unpredictability, the Academy Awards is not for you. Thanks to earlier guild award results, most results are determinable to a near certainty. Add to that an increasing amount of "chatter" between those who cover the awards race and those who actually vote, and that leaves little room for surprise. They are even able to predict when the guild result will differ from the AA result, such as the winner of the Supporting Actress award. The biggest question mark this year is Best Picture-but only because there was a tie for the PGA award.
Does any of this really matter? Not really. I have learned to pay little heed to the winners, as the Academy membership has all too frequently demonstrated poor taste in movies. One would expect these people to be up on their movies, but that is a fallacy. Their opinions do not stray far from the hoi polloi. Very simplistic with little intelligence on display, these voters are looking for an emotional, moving experience, not a movie that inspires thought and/or controversy. The last thing they want is to be challenged. Sympathetic characters are a must. This has been the common assumption about these voters for a while (and it goes way back-think How Green Was My Valley over Citizen Kane), and this idea is reinforced by the eight "Brutally Honest Oscar Voter Ballots." This year is even more predictable than usual, if the Gurus o' Gold and Gold Derby results are any indication.
Best Picture-This is the one major category that is a bit of a tossup. On the one hand, Gravity won the DGA, which is considered to be the best predictor. If it had received one more vote for the PGA, everyone would consider it a lock to win Best Picture. But it didn't. The tie vote made people think that 12 Years had at least a chance. And in the last few days the consensus has turned toward 12 Years as the most likely winner. I am leaning toward 12 Years for one reason-a sci-fi film that is heavy in technical achievement but light in storytelling is not the type of movie that screams Best Picture. Then again, movies about African American racial conflict have not had much success at these awards either. Another advantage that Gravity appears to have is that all of the voters will have seen it, while the intensity of the depictions of slavery in 12 Years is said to have turned off some members of the Academy to the point that they would not view the entire film. That is a key point, and Brokeback Mountain faced a similar situation. This explains another potential advantage for Gravity, which is the preferential voting system. It seems like the movie more likely to receive second place votes, as 12 Years is the type of polarizing film that will either be at the top of voters' ranking or towards the bottom. I still have to come back to the subject matter and say that 12 Years feels a lot more like a Best Picture, and it will eke out a victory. Winner-12 Years a Slave
Best Director-Cuaron has this one wrapped up. A split between Director and Best Picture does not happen very often, but the only way it will not happen is if Gravity also wins Best Picture. Winner-Alfonso Cuaron
Best Actor-The Academy loves physical transformations. Winner-Matthew McConaughey
Best Actress-This was the first lock of the season. Nothing has changed. Winner-Cate Blanchett.
Best Supporting Actor-This was another transformation. Plus this category is not considered to be very strong this year. Winner-Jared Leto
Best Supporting Actress-Jennifer Lawrence would have this one locked up, if not for her win last year. That leaves an actress who is also benefiting from those people who want to reward 12 Years a Slave, but who voted for Gravity in the other major categories. Winner-Lupita Nyong'o. By the way, these four winners have to be the most difficult group of names to spell in the history of the awards. Even Jared Leto is difficult, when you consider how many ways there are to spell "Jared." One last thing-if the blue-hairs have their way, this might go with under-the-radar June Squibb.
Best Original Screenplay-Her has a chance here, but I find it difficult to believe that American Hustle will be shutout. Winner-American Hustle
Best Adapted Screenplay-Academy members have too short of an attention span for movies like the Before trilogy. Winner-12 Years a Slave
Best Feature Documentary-20 Feet From Stardom is the favorite, but its subject matter feels too slight, so I believe it will be upset by either The Act of Killing or The Square. Winner-The Square
Best Foreign Language Film-Going with the film that has been a big winner elsewhere. Winner-The Great Beauty
Best Animated Feature-They should eliminate this category now that Pixar has gone south. Winner-Frozen
Best Cinematography-Get ready for lots of technical wins by one film. Winner-Gravity
Best Costume Design-I can imagine some people being annoyed by the clothing in American Hustle. Winner-The Great Gatsby
Best Film Editing-This category often does not match with a weak Best Picture winner. This is also a chance to award a film that might not win anything else. Winner-Captain Phillips
Best Production Design-If this film is going to win one award, this is it. Winner-The Great Gatsby
Best Make-Up-I think it is safe to assume that most voters failed to watch that Jackass nominee, even if it deserves to win, which some make-up experts believe to be the case. Winner-Dallas Buyers Club
Best Score-One of the nominees leaned on the score more than any other. Winner-Gravity
Best Song-This is another category that should be eliminated. Winner-Let It Go
Best Sound Mixing-Winner-Gravity
Best Sound Editing-Winner-Gravity
Best Visual Effects-Winner-Gravity
Best Documentary Short-These last three categories are always a crapshoot. Even the so-called experts are usually stymied here. Pick two out of three of these correctly and you have a very good chance of winning your Oscar pool. That being said, I read something about a change in policy on these, as now dvd screeners are sent out, meaning that the potential pool of voters becomes larger, and thus maybe a little easier to predict. I still think that more than half of the eligible voters abstain from voting in these categories. In this particular category, everyone seems to be predicting the same winner. I still will not be surprised to see something else win. Winner-The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
Best Live Action Short-Winner-Helium
Best Animated Short-Winner-Get a Horse!
Does any of this really matter? Not really. I have learned to pay little heed to the winners, as the Academy membership has all too frequently demonstrated poor taste in movies. One would expect these people to be up on their movies, but that is a fallacy. Their opinions do not stray far from the hoi polloi. Very simplistic with little intelligence on display, these voters are looking for an emotional, moving experience, not a movie that inspires thought and/or controversy. The last thing they want is to be challenged. Sympathetic characters are a must. This has been the common assumption about these voters for a while (and it goes way back-think How Green Was My Valley over Citizen Kane), and this idea is reinforced by the eight "Brutally Honest Oscar Voter Ballots." This year is even more predictable than usual, if the Gurus o' Gold and Gold Derby results are any indication.
Best Picture-This is the one major category that is a bit of a tossup. On the one hand, Gravity won the DGA, which is considered to be the best predictor. If it had received one more vote for the PGA, everyone would consider it a lock to win Best Picture. But it didn't. The tie vote made people think that 12 Years had at least a chance. And in the last few days the consensus has turned toward 12 Years as the most likely winner. I am leaning toward 12 Years for one reason-a sci-fi film that is heavy in technical achievement but light in storytelling is not the type of movie that screams Best Picture. Then again, movies about African American racial conflict have not had much success at these awards either. Another advantage that Gravity appears to have is that all of the voters will have seen it, while the intensity of the depictions of slavery in 12 Years is said to have turned off some members of the Academy to the point that they would not view the entire film. That is a key point, and Brokeback Mountain faced a similar situation. This explains another potential advantage for Gravity, which is the preferential voting system. It seems like the movie more likely to receive second place votes, as 12 Years is the type of polarizing film that will either be at the top of voters' ranking or towards the bottom. I still have to come back to the subject matter and say that 12 Years feels a lot more like a Best Picture, and it will eke out a victory. Winner-12 Years a Slave
Best Director-Cuaron has this one wrapped up. A split between Director and Best Picture does not happen very often, but the only way it will not happen is if Gravity also wins Best Picture. Winner-Alfonso Cuaron
Best Actor-The Academy loves physical transformations. Winner-Matthew McConaughey
Best Actress-This was the first lock of the season. Nothing has changed. Winner-Cate Blanchett.
Best Supporting Actor-This was another transformation. Plus this category is not considered to be very strong this year. Winner-Jared Leto
Best Supporting Actress-Jennifer Lawrence would have this one locked up, if not for her win last year. That leaves an actress who is also benefiting from those people who want to reward 12 Years a Slave, but who voted for Gravity in the other major categories. Winner-Lupita Nyong'o. By the way, these four winners have to be the most difficult group of names to spell in the history of the awards. Even Jared Leto is difficult, when you consider how many ways there are to spell "Jared." One last thing-if the blue-hairs have their way, this might go with under-the-radar June Squibb.
Best Original Screenplay-Her has a chance here, but I find it difficult to believe that American Hustle will be shutout. Winner-American Hustle
Best Adapted Screenplay-Academy members have too short of an attention span for movies like the Before trilogy. Winner-12 Years a Slave
Best Feature Documentary-20 Feet From Stardom is the favorite, but its subject matter feels too slight, so I believe it will be upset by either The Act of Killing or The Square. Winner-The Square
Best Foreign Language Film-Going with the film that has been a big winner elsewhere. Winner-The Great Beauty
Best Animated Feature-They should eliminate this category now that Pixar has gone south. Winner-Frozen
Best Cinematography-Get ready for lots of technical wins by one film. Winner-Gravity
Best Costume Design-I can imagine some people being annoyed by the clothing in American Hustle. Winner-The Great Gatsby
Best Film Editing-This category often does not match with a weak Best Picture winner. This is also a chance to award a film that might not win anything else. Winner-Captain Phillips
Best Production Design-If this film is going to win one award, this is it. Winner-The Great Gatsby
Best Make-Up-I think it is safe to assume that most voters failed to watch that Jackass nominee, even if it deserves to win, which some make-up experts believe to be the case. Winner-Dallas Buyers Club
Best Score-One of the nominees leaned on the score more than any other. Winner-Gravity
Best Song-This is another category that should be eliminated. Winner-Let It Go
Best Sound Mixing-Winner-Gravity
Best Sound Editing-Winner-Gravity
Best Visual Effects-Winner-Gravity
Best Documentary Short-These last three categories are always a crapshoot. Even the so-called experts are usually stymied here. Pick two out of three of these correctly and you have a very good chance of winning your Oscar pool. That being said, I read something about a change in policy on these, as now dvd screeners are sent out, meaning that the potential pool of voters becomes larger, and thus maybe a little easier to predict. I still think that more than half of the eligible voters abstain from voting in these categories. In this particular category, everyone seems to be predicting the same winner. I still will not be surprised to see something else win. Winner-The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
Best Live Action Short-Winner-Helium
Best Animated Short-Winner-Get a Horse!
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