Self Styled Adam Smith

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:09:45 GMT

I postulate that "Pearl Harbor" could have been as good a WWII film as "Saving Private Ryan" had it not had the silly love triangle.

Still have the romance between Evelyn and Raph, but don't have the whole falling for Danny thing, cut down on that story line just a little. Expand the historical aspect. Expand Cuba Gooding Jr.'s role. Still do the Doolittle Raid.

Michael Bay could have been considered a "Great Director" in the vein of Speilberg, however, the cliche love triangle and the not stellar acting that went along with it, almost ruins this movie.

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:24:08 GMT

just watched the Halloween episode of Castle. One nice thing about episodic television vs continuous story tv is that they can have fun things like a holiday episode.

I think the creative background of Castle did something amazing in this episode. The characters atended a costume party, and their costumes, were the wardrobe from their previous work! Nathan Fillion in full Mal Reynolds regalia was fantastic. also the writing to go along with it:

Alexis: What are you supposed to be?
Castle: Space Cowboy.
Alexis: Didn't you were that, like, five years ago. Seriously, let go.

BRILLIANT!

this show is a nice twist on cop shows, a bit more humor, but also has strong crimes. In the end, the show has heart, which is what separates it from the rest. It may be a respun Moonlighting or Scarecrow and Ms. King, but I like it lots.

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:04:04 GMT

visited 29 states (58%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:58:16 GMT

ah republicans who don't like due process of law, so much for representing the Constitution of the USA when our taxpayer money is being spent on contractors outside of the USA. Why should they have to uphold a standard?

luckily, this amendment passed, The democratic senator from the Ol' North State voted "Yea" the republican "Nay"

here it is:

SA 2588. Mr. FRANKEN (for himself and Ms. Landrieu) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 3326, making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes; as follows:

On page 245, between lines 8 and 9, insert the following:

Sec. 8104. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used for any existing or new Federal contract if the contractor or a subcontractor at any tier requires that an employee or independent contractor, as a condition of employment, sign a contract that mandates that the employee or independent contractor performing work under the contract or subcontract resolve through arbitration any claim under title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or any tort related to or arising out of sexual assault or harassment, including assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, or negligent hiring, supervision, or retention.

[Page: S10070] GPO's PDF

(b) The prohibition in subsection (a) does not apply with respect to employment contracts that may not be enforced in a court of the United States.

I'm trying to find an argument that holds up against this amendment. The best is that the bill also allows no forced arbitration for "intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, or negligent hiring, supervision, or retention." So it's not just "Anti-Rape". So the courts may be filled with frivolous law suits that are just designed to line the pockets of lawyers. HOWEVER, I find this very very week. So what? If it's frivolous, let the JUDGE decide!

This is all about taxpayer money. If an individual wants to hire a contractor outside of the USA, then by all means, they can stipulate that there is a mandatory arbitration clause. This is TAX PAYER money, being used by the DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, to hire contractors to further our safety, as they see fit.

Is there something wrong with holding companies the American taxpayer hires to the standards of the American Constitution? Apparently John McCain thinks so.

here's the vote breakdown: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00308

For Anne: Andrew Lloyd Webber to make "Phantom" sequel

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:14:49 GMT

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091008/ap_en_ot/eu_britain_phantom_sequel

LONDON – The Phantom of the Opera is coming back — but this time, he'll be haunting the amusement park at New York's Coney Island.

Star composer Andrew Lloyd Webber announced Thursday a long-awaited sequel to his massively successful "The Phantom of the Opera," one of the world's best-loved and longest-running musicals.

"There's unfinished business," Lloyd Weber told journalists assembled for a teaser — a new song featuring the titular Phantom, played by Iranian-born Canadian Ramin Karimloo, and his love interest, Christine, played by American actress Sierra Boggess.

"I don't regard this as a sequel; it's a standalone piece," Lloyd Weber said.

The new musical will be called "Love Never Dies." It is due to open in London in March. It x will be staged also in New York beginning in November 2010 and will open in Australia in 2011.

The musical picks up a decade after the original's conclusion, and has the Phantom trading his customary hideout beneath the Paris opera house for Coney Island, the iconic Brooklyn amusement park known for its roller coasters and "Nathan's Famous" hot dogs.

Lloyd Weber said he wanted to produce a sequel because the original's ending, which sees Christine leave the brooding Phantom for his rival, Raoul, was unsatisfactory.

"Christine goes off with this boring guy, the Phantom disappears," Lloyd Weber said. He said he wanted to set the piece at Coney Island because, at its turn-of-the-century heyday, it was "the eighth wonder of the world."

"Think of Vegas and then triple it," he said.

Lloyd Weber sketched out an outline of the plot, saying the Phantom made his way to Coney Island after losing Christine. The Phantom rises from one of the attractions at a freak show to control the entire complex, without ever losing his love for Christine.

Other characters from the original also reprise their roles.

The original hit musical, a longtime fixture on the London and New York stages, featured elaborate staging and songs such as "The Music of the Night," and "All I Ask of You."

Based on the eponymous French novel by Gaston Leroux, the play is the longest-running show on Broadway, beating Lloyd Weber's other masterpiece, "Cats," in 2006 and reaching an unprecedented 9,000 performances on the night of Sept. 17. Producers say it has been seen by more than 100 million people worldwide and has been translated into 15 languages and staged in 25 countries, including Brazil, China and Poland.

The album of the show has sold more than 40 million copies.

But musical sequels on Broadway have tended to flop.

"Annie," which opened in 1977, was one of Broadway's biggest hits, but "Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Revenge" closed during its 1989 out of town tryout in Washington. The sequel to "Bye Bye Birdie," a Tony-winning hit in 1960, died on Broadway in 1981 after only four performances.

Lloyd Weber avoided trying predict the sequel's success.

"I'm very happy with the piece and that's enough for me," he said.

"Love Never Dies" had a difficult birth. Lloyd Weber abandoned a previous attempt at a sequel more than decade ago, saying the story wasn't right. Frederick Forsyth, who Lloyd Weber said helped him with the idea, eventually published a novel, "The Phantom of Manhattan," in 1999.

Director Jack O'Brien acknowledged that tampering with such a wildly popular music and theater franchise was dangerous.

"No one's going to thank us for doing this," he said. "We're playing around with people's memories."

But he defended the sequel, saying the years of back-and-forth made it a more solid work.

Arts critic Norman LaBrecht said Lloyd Weber was taking a risk by putting on such a massive show in the middle of a recession.

"This is a very difficult time to go putting something on in the West End," he said.

A success would be another coup for the musical megastar, whose hits include "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Evita." Lloyd Weber's entertainment empire has made him one of Britain's richest men, with an estimated wealth of 750 million pounds ($1.2 billion), according to The Sunday Times of London Rich List.

So could there ever be a sequel to the sequel?

Karimloo, who plays the Phantom, said he wasn't against the idea.

"Maybe somewhere warm," he said, joking that the Phantom "seems like an L.A. kind of guy."

Lloyd Weber was less enthusiastic.

"There isn't going to a sequel set in Tahiti," he said. "I don't see how the story could possibly continue."

Tickets for the London shows at the Adelphi Theatre were placed on sale Thursday, and fans also were told they could pre-order the album of the show's tunes. Top-priced tickets are going for 67.50 pounds (about $109).

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 03:21:47 GMT

If you havn't seen "Zombieland" GO SEE ZOMBIELAND!!!!!

I saw it today, I also saw "The Toxic Avenger Musical" at New World Stages Off-Broadway. $25 student rush tickets, woo Jess' old student I.D., worth every penny. So ridiculous and awesome. It's in the same vein as "Bat Boy: The Musical" where it parody's different shows, but also has it's own plot. Rock Musicals are so fun.

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:40:19 GMT

I think I need counseling

or maybe a mentor

I keep having these debates in my head of what to do with my life, is what I am doing what I am supposed to be doing, have I wasted my time(i'm a firm believer in "no" to this one),

what am I supposed to do with this life? Have I taken everything for granted? I've been told all my life that I'm: gifted, smart, capable, "special", but what has that given me? A feeling of entitlement? A big head?

If I am all those things, shouldn't I be doing more than waiting fucking tables and auditioning my ass off to maybe MAYBE book a gig that may or may not help advance my career?

If I hadn't been told all those things, would I be in a better place? Would I have some random 9-5 and be happy with it? Or would I wish I could do more? Would I feel the same as I do now?

The worst thought I have is this: My parents worked hard to give me a better childhood than they had. They did. My childhood was great! As it stands right now, however, my kids will have a vastly different and not nearly as privileged youth as I did. Not even close.

What was the point of all that love? All the lectures on living, making mistakes, learning. All the traveling. All the seeing more of the world; physically, spiritually, and intellectually, than the majority of children in the world.

All that work through school. Achieving Eagle. Graduating College. What does it all boil down to? Going to a job, only to make money. I'm not creating anything. I'm not being anything. I'm not advancing myself or anyone else. I come home, watch tv, play games, and mostly try to escape the fact that I am not doing anything. I sometimes work on my script, I sometimes work on my novel, and I sometimes work on my TV pitch. I make big plans. I come up with good ideas. But at the end of the day, I'm all talk.

I just try to escape it all, and at the end of the escaping, I write a blog entry like this, feeling bad about wasting my life.

I don't believe I've wasted my time here in NYC, not wholly. I have done some great work, acting wise. I have made connections. I have changed the lives of people I've worked with, both survival jobs and acting gigs. My life would not be the same without all the experiences that I've had since moving here. I can't undo anything that I've done, and I don't want to, because I wouldn't be who I am.

I believe that I am supposed to do something bigger than sit on my couch. I love acting, I feel it's call, but I am afraid that the system of the business of acting will keep me from ever achieving anything significant.

I know I don't want the normal 9-5. I know that I don't want to work just for money. Yes I want to live comfortably. I am just afraid that neither of those things will happen while I'm trying to make something happen.

These are the times that try men's souls.

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:46:03 GMT

oh man

I just found my recording of the GC Music Man Barbershop Quartet. Man, that was fun. we sound pretty darn good to boot!

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:42:51 GMT

I think I just had a revelation.

I don't like going to sleep.

not that I don't like sleeping, I actually really like sleeping.

I don't like going to sleep, because that means that I will have to wake up and most likely go to work tomorrow.

After I come home from work I do things I enjoy, I watch TV, play games, hang out with Jess, write, listen to music, play music, let my brain soar a bit.

I like doing those things. That's why I don't want to go to sleep.

Something in my head says, no no! don't do that, we are having so much fun now.

though I know that if I went to sleep earlier, I could get more done when I wake up.

ah logic and emotions fight for dominance on my downward swing of my emotional cycle.

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:21:05 GMT

i've been doing research for my novel

yeah, i know, i'm writing a novel, or atleast planning one. ideas are written down, i have a plot, i wrote a teaser and it pleased some peeps, so now i'm diving in.

I've been reading "The Difference Engine" by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. It's a Steampunk novel, and so is mine. Their style is much different from my own, plus the setting is London, and the atmosphere is very different, but they have planted some seeds that have yielded lots of ideas.

the main thing with Steampunk is that it's really just a setting. not a whole lot goes into describing the setting, as you should be more concerned with the characters and how they react to the world they live in, besides just focusing so much on the world itself.

creating the world however, is coming first for me, and so the world is really the main character in my mind right now.

Maybe that's just how my mind works in creating an alternative past world. industrial revolution, but instead of petrochemicals being the big fuel, it's still burning coal and running things on steam. The absence of electricity is also an interesting concept, and is very foreign.

this may take a while, but it's piecing itself together in my brain, then being scribbled down on paper.

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:47:30 GMT

oh man, District 9

go see it, then we'll discuss

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:27:52 GMT

This morning I was awoken by my alarm clock powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the US department of energy. I then took a shower in the clean water provided by the municipal water utility. After that, I turned on the TV to one of the FCC regulated channels to see what the national weather service of the national oceanographic and atmospheric administration determined the weather was going to be like using satellites designed, built, and launched by the national aeronautics and space administration. I watched this while eating my breakfast of US department of agriculture inspected food and taking the drugs which have been determined as safe by the food and drug administration.

At the appropriate time as regulated by the US congress and kept accurate by the national institute of standards and technology and the US naval observatory, I get into my national highway traffic safety administration approved automobile and set out to work on the roads build by the local, state, and federal departments of transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fuel of a quality level determined by the environmental protection agency, using legal tender issed by the federal reserve bank. On the way out the door I deposit any mail I have to be sent out via the US postal service and drop the kids off at the public school.

After spending another day not being maimed or killed at work thanks to the workplace regulations imposed by the department of labor and the occupational safety and health administration, enjoying another two meals which again do not kill me because of the USDA, I drive my NHTSA car back home on the DOT roads, to my house which has not burned down in my absence because of the state and local building codes and fire marshal’s inspection, and which has not been plundered of all it’s valuables thanks to the local police department.

I then log on to the internet which was developed by the defense advanced research projects administration and post on freerepublic.com and fox news forums about how SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because the government can’t do anything right.

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 02:16:54 GMT

three pieces of furniture that not only help organize my apartment, but would save much more space. However, they will have to be purchased in the future, since I am, at this moment, broke.

i saw this one the other day, and would gladly have it to replace my current desk:

http://www.ballarddesigns.com/Furniture/Armoires/Eastman-Secretary/p/8657

Beautiful! I may have to drill a hole in the back for my computer cables, but it may have it already, it doesn't specify. It's also $500 making it the most expensive piece on my list, but it looks to be of good quality, so I'm assuming it would last most of my life, with care.

The Second, is actually something I already own, but would love to have a twin, since I have many books:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=6958193

With the purchase of Item 1, my floor space would open up in the living room, and I could put this item near it's twin, next to the secretary. or I could have it mirror it's twin by placing it on the other side of the TV and put the DVD shelf next to the secretary, either way, classy, and I know it's a nice piece. The only problem is that it seems to be unavailable right now, but i'm sure I can find it somewhere.

and lastly:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QJEW9K/ref=s9_simz_gw_s0_p86_t1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0969929Z6540VW5S4DJY&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

The most affordable piece, which I will be getting sooner than the rest. New York has floor space issues, and this would open up much needed space in the kitchen, and would also make it easier for people during parties to put stuff in the correct bin. It is a bit garish, but functional.

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:30:35 GMT

I'm living in Catch 22 land.

I got sick, i beat the virus, but the tonsillitis I've had for the past 3 days won't go away, so I'm going to the doctor, because this is ridiculously painful, and nothing it helping the pain.

Luckily, I have insurance.

however

Since I pay $130 a month for said insurance, and July has been an incredibly slow month at work, after paying all my bills, including said insurance, I have around $40. Good thing the co-pay is only $20. Oh, but what about perscriptions? What if Aetna refuses on some ludicrous grounds to pay, as they have in the past?

oh yeah, I also havn't bought groceries that needed to be bought a week ago, so the fridge is empty.

So, it's get healthy so my life can get back in order or EAT

great. Now some might say, well get another job. I'm looking into that.

However

I get my insurance through my work, most restaurants don't offer insurance, so more than likely I wouldn't be covered, and therefore, once again, would have to choose between eating and getting healthy.

this is awesome

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:11:29 GMT

Shawshank Redemption was up against Forrest Gump for Best Picture

It was also up against The Lion King for best original score.

what a year 1994 was

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:51:33 GMT

if you want a fantastic bottle of wine, buy Two Angels "Mayacamas Mountains Cabernet" 2004 or 2006 if you can find it. Should be around 25 bucks. Vanilla and Chocolate notes, little bit of leather, nice dark fruit. You want it to breath a bit, perhaps even decant it. It's damn good. I'm enjoying my bottle right now.

if you want something even better, try to find Iron Horse BDX-3. It's a meritage of Cab, Cab franc, and petit verdot. It's huge. Flavor wise, leather, wood, dirt. The finish is so smooth, and hits you with chocolate and tobacco almost pipe tobacco like in intensity. This bottle will be around $50 bucks though, worth it, but still $50. I've only had it by the glass, and man I really want a bottle.

I have a little nerd crush on Kristen Bell. I think it's her in Fanboys being a crazy nerd girl, who is super fine.

I'm watching Cowboy Beebop from my netflix, man it brings back good times from freshman year, playing DDR, getting pizza or chinese, then ending the night with Adult Swim culminating with C.B.

ah, good times

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:38:20 GMT

I don't understand the politics, viewership, and money of television.

I just watched the final episode of season one of "Legend of the Seeker" while the acting and writing got better than the rest, it was still pretty bad, great action and magic effects, but a bad show. The episode was such a let down, and the big bad guy was defeated, but I felt nothing. It was really dumb.

"Legend of the Seeker" was renewed, however, with a full 22 episode order.

meanwhile, "Kings" which is having it's finale this saturday, did not get renewed. They say it's for budgetary reason. My insider at NBC tells me it's for political reasons.

"Kings" had much higher viewership than "Legend of the Seeker," however, since it is on NBC and the the CW, it got canceled.

CW would be thrilled with the numbers from "Kings" but NBC is not.

uggg, it's such a great show, and it will end with a cliffhanger. . .

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:19:07 GMT

just watched "Match Point"

Now I am a big fan of Scarlet, I think John Rhyse Myers is pretty good, and the term "hitchcockian flair" is always a good one in my ear.

But i'm much confused by this flick. The cinematography was very strange. Shots moving around a room while you only hear one couple talking, and then the camera settles on the couple just as they finish their conversation, for one. But by the end of the film, the filming becomes very normal.

The acting was also hit and miss throughout the film. I'm thinking this has to be a direction problem. It seemed to be stylized at the beginning, but then it fell apart.

Scarlet is sexy, the story is very "strangers on a train"ish, and England looks beautiful.

other than that, i'm not sure how I feel about this flick.

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:45:37 GMT

My GM told me that, out of everyone, he thought I had potential to be a "great server."

A part of me died when he told me that.

I really wish school/society hadn't taught us that we are "special" and that we should "follow our dreams" I may actually be happy in mediocrity and carrying the status quo, instead of feeling lost and depressed.

Will I always hate my job? is this why the majority of Americans get drunk as often as they do? I had no reason to assume that acting would be a satisfying job, other than the fact that I really enjoy doing it even when not getting paid. Other than that, who knows? Maybe if I actually had a steady acting job, I would be just as unsatisfied as I am with everything else.

probably not

fucking a

I'll never be able to live up to my childhood, and if I ever have children, at this rate I will never be able to give them the quality childhood that I had. Sorry kids, your dad is jaded by the system and is wondering why he allowed you to be brought into such a shithole of a planet. Things are really good when they are good, but the good things always pass into a big pile of mediocrity.

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:39:01 GMT

here are those pics:

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:49:45 GMT

I got to meet Warwick Davis tonight.

He at at Morton's. The LPA (Little People of America) are having a convention at the Mariot next door. I asked him if he was who he was, and then we took pictures to put him on the wall of fame.

I have to find a way to scan these pics.

He's smaller than I expected, but man he was awesome. Very nice guy. He also has an extremely cute son.

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:53:34 GMT

Transformers 2

summer popcorn fucking awesome fun flick

I had a huge grin on my face the whole time, the muscle on my face are sore from geeking out the entire movie.

yeah, some little plot holes, but that has a tendency to happen in big summer blockbusters, not a huge deal in the end.

So many robots! so many robot fights! and a really cool idea for how ancient the autobot race is.

Optimus Prime got to be a real badass in this one, Decepticons going down like little bitches.
Bumblebee got some action as well, so that was sweet!

Very fun! Everything I expected.

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:36:15 GMT

Jess: I can't believe you havn't seen "Adventures in Babysitting"

me: Sounds like a girl movie.

Jess: IT IS NOT A GIRL MOVIE!!!!!

for some reason that struck me as very funny, that just happened, it might have been they way she said the last line.

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 03:08:44 GMT

If you want a WTF moment in your life, watch the movie Tiptoes.

you'll see

Some great performances, so watch it for that reason.

Fri, 29 May 2009 05:30:11 GMT

I just watched FANBOYS. I scored a copy of for my bday, it only aired in theaters for 1 week in NYC. It was fantastic. So so so funny. I'm really surprised it they pulled it from theaters. My only disappointment is that this movie was already made, and I could not be in it.