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Monday, March 20, 2006

March Madness!

Just enjoying the IDES OF MARCH, esp. when it means Southern and George Washington getting an early leave from the tourney.

In strange news: Kobe Bryant's last high school game was against Cathedral Prep (that's right, Erie Cathedral Prep) in 1996 for the PIAA championship. For some reason, I found it mind-blowingly strange that I wasn't aware of this sooner. Huh.

More to post later. Right now I'll just say GO DUKIES!

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Monday, March 06, 2006

The Gasp Heard Round the TV Screen, or "Broken by the Oscars"

I applaud George Clooney's opening acceptance speech. Bravo for him, stating how Hollywood has always led the way with groundbreaking acheivement in the area of acceptance. Esp. the Academy, who gave out the first Oscar to an African American long before it was kosher or a media stunt. Bravo, Mr. Clooney.

And Jon Stewart, bravo for basing most of the night's comedy on irony. Stiller in the green suit, unaware of what the audience could actually see. Presenting Robert Altman's honorary Oscar with a Lily Tomlin-Meryl Streep Altman-esque introduction. Stewart wasn't afraid to let the audience know how stiff they were or make the honest observation (with great comedic timing) "Martin Scorcese: zero Oscars, 3-6-Mafia: one."

And the 3-6-Mafia win is a long way from Eminem's win for "One Shot." "It's Hard Out There For a Pimp" is def. down and dirty Southern crunk. And as a result (quoting Stewart again), "It just got a little bit easier for a pimp."

So kudos, Academy, for breaking down barrier of racism, intolerance, etc. etc. But, I'm sorry to say that you still have a long way to go.

It was just too much to ask for. To hope for. Winner of the BAFTA award, the BSFC, the BFCA, the CFCA, the Director's Guild, the Independent Cinema, the London critics', the Los Angeles critics', the San Fran critics', the New York film critics', the Satellite, the Writer's Guild, the Golden Lion and the Golden Globes. Winner of the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Score and Best Director. Highest grossing film nominated for Best Picture (by far). Only one thing missing.

So maybe Clooney's speech was a bit premature. In a ground-breaking year, the Academy couldn't avoid giving out statuettes to controversial films, so why credit them? The ticket sales are down. They need controversy to stir up the box office numbers. What better gimmick than to give the biggie award to the Dark horse?

Or maybe it was just that Hollywood was afraid for the first time at the Oscars. Rumor has it that middle-class America is starting to feel alienated. Rumor has it they were all counting this the "gay year" of film. Because remember, the Best Actor can win (but as an effeminate, wrist-swishing stereotype). And Best Adapted Screenplay can win, when it was a great American short story first.

Well, the Academy proved those rumors wrong tonight. Maybe it's not important that the whole room gasped when Jack Nicholson read the envelope. Maybe it doesn't matter that everyone in the room thought it was all a joke, that this couldn't be happening, that this wasn't so much the victory we were hoping for, that maybe the Academy had actually taken a step backward tonight of all nights. The important thing is that the stereotypes are alive and kicking. That your neighbor is just your neighbor. S/He doesn't live a closeted life. S/He hasn't married someone s/he never loved to hide from outside judgment. S/He is living the story that everyone has ever told, not the interesting one, not the new one, not even the best one. But, it's the story that everyone wanted to hear.

So thank you, Jon Stewart, for your ironic treatise tonight. How dare we expect change. How dare we.


Special Note: Have to credit most of the attendees of Damion's Oscar bash for half the ideas in this post.

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Saturday, March 04, 2006

Bleeding Duke Blue


I really am. Bleeding. All over. It's on my hands. It's getting all over my nice, institutional white carpet. I'm not gonna get my damage deposit back from The Landlord. I'm not gonna get my buzzer beater from the Most Hated Player in college basketball. I'm not gonna get that no. 4 hanging from the rafters.

Yet.

I think our Devils have lost a little blood. And when I say blood, I mean to the heart. That pumping muscle just isn't pumping as hard as it could anymore. It's been through a lot, after all:

-The GW loss--JJ's 41 points & Sheldon's worst game of the season.
-JJ's 3-point record.
-JJ's Duke scoring record.
-JJ's ACC scoring record & JJ's lowest scoring night of the season.
-JJ and Adam Morrison's battle for the season scoring average.
-The FSU faux pax.

That's a lot of pumping. Too much for this year's seniors. This was no '98 Senior Night comeback. This was no Steve Wojcieshowski slapping Cameron Court. UNC didn't choke on the line this time. This was DeMarcus Nelson catching fire and waiting for the rest of his team to catch up. This was JJ wanting the win so badly that he went stone cold. This was Lee Melchioni scraping himself off the floor and still seeing us down by 10. This was, to quote Tim Rice and Elton John, "a step too far."

This means that no matter how much they wanted it, these kids didn't have enough heart left in them to get it. Greg Paulus is not Steve Wojciechowski. JJ Redick is not Trajan Langdon. (In fact, JJ's better than Langdon. He's smashed all of Langdon's old school records. And yet, he's somehow inherited Langdon's streakiness since the emotional ardour has started winning out.)Sheldon is not Elton Brand. (Tyler Hansborough is not Antawn Jamison, for that matter.)

I guess what I'm trying to say is, "JJ and all you other seniors, Take a week off. Go to class. Play Halo 2 online with Adam Morrison. Go out with your girldfriends. Play 1-on-1 at the playground. Just relax.

And give 'em all HELL come tourney time."

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