Mrs. Running Commentary is away on one of her semi-annual teacher trips out of town, so I'm going through my own attendant semi-annual bout of insomnia. (Not that anyone should envy her--she's in Miami, Oklahoma with a squad of cheerleaders attending a big-time high school basketball tournament which Central High School's boys and girls basketball teams are a part of. She--aptly, I suspect--describes Miami and her hotel as the "Final Pit of Hell".) I just can't seem to sleep when she's away. Bed's too damn cold.
So I'll use my late-night wakefulness to catch you all up on my feelings about this blog's two main themes:
Running
No, I haven't given up on the whole "I'm a marathoner" bit. No, I haven't done any significant training since the October 20 marathon in Kansas City. A more-than-busy work schedule, MBA classes and cold weather have seen to that. But I'm not giving up, nosirree. My hopes of running the Go! St. Louis Marathon are probably out the window, but I'm looking at a race in June, as well as a November gallop in my buddy N8's hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. Plenty of time, right? Right. I've got $130 in gift certificates to Ridge Runner Sports burning a hole in my pocket, and I can't wait to go buy some gear. The comments are wide open if anyone wants to give me some encouragement. *Crickets chirping*
Thanks.
Baseball
It's been a strange off-season for the Cardinals. I must admit it's going to be odd to watch games this season knowing Scott Rolen is gimping around in Toronto, while Jim Edmonds is sharing time in San Diego's crowded outfield. I liked the Rolen trade; indeed I was glad to see it. They Birds picked up a 30-homer--if equally gimpy--guy in Troy Glaus, and got rid of a player that, frankly, I was a bit tired of. My feelings on Edmonds are documented here. The rest of the moves I am lukewarm about. Matt Clement seemed like a decent low-risk signing, Cesar Izturis is a stopgap. I rather liked the signing of Josh Phelps. The guy was the Yankees' starting 1B on Opening Day last year, I think, and came into the league with Toronto as a highly-touted prospect. Seems like a potentially good utility player, and some 1B insurance in case Pujols's elbow really does require surgery at some point.
I notice I typed that sentence with no hisrionics. That's because I'm, for all intents and purposes, writing this season off. The Brewers, Cubs and Reds are improved. St. Louis is not. A year of system-building seems like the prudent move, and I'd rather celebrate for five years between 2010-2014 than for one year now. It'll give me a chance to watch the game for the game, instead of riding like a madman on every pitch. I'll get just as many thrills watching the Springfield Cardinals from my grandpa's sweet-ass box seats as I will shaking my head at the Big Birds from my couch.
Aw, who am I kidding? I'll still watch Fox Midwest like a madman, but I've always said the upside of being a pessimist is that you're constantly either being proven right or pleasantly surprised.
Lookit that. Just five minutes of typing about the Cardinals and I'm sleepy. Ambien is missing a great marketing opportunity with this year's team, if you ask me.
Peace,
ML
Friday, January 25, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
We'll never quit Heath, but Blunt will quit Jeff City
Couple of big-time afternoon stories:
I'm not much for pining over Dead Actors, but Heath Ledger's passing was a kick in the gut. Talent--so much of it--left unused just sort of does that to me. He was a father and son; his family are the true mourners. Fans should simply be happy he left characters like Ennis Del Mar behind for posterity. Brokeback Mountain might have been overwrought Oscar bait, but the characters were divine. The tabloid blogosphere is agog with sorrow, rumors, and, if you can believe it, quite a bit of gay-bashing. Some people are just f***ing insane.
On the political spectrum, Matt Blunt is not running for a second term as Missouri's governor, a move that would seem to indicate some major jump in the political heirarchy: Local pundits have him as a possible No. 2 to good buddy Mitt Romney should he win the GOP nod for the White House. Others have him playing "family guy" for a few years until it's time for him to inherit his dad's U.S. House seat, or possibly even run for U.S. Senate.
Of course, it could also be partly attributable to the fact that Boy Blunt's (or Roy's Boy, or Boy Blunder, or whatever silly name Democrats tabbed him with from the start) first and only go-round as Missouri's governor was largely a disaster; his popularity fell immediately with unpopular Medicaid cuts all the way through the open-records scandal currently taking up so much newsprint in our state (News-Leader op-ed editor Tony Messenger has done a great job covering it). Well--he's been a disaster for everyone not wearing Balanced Budget Blinders (which I hear you can buy from vending machines outside most local Auto-Magic locations, as well as on eBay).
I interviewed Matt in 2004, while he was running for Governor against Claire McCaskill, and actually found him fairly well-spoken and congenial--at least over the phone; far less slippery and a little more direct than his old man, whom I also interviewed a couple of times. Roy brings in lots of dollars for this part of the state, and say thank'ya, but he's politician through and through. He also does not have very pleasant breath--or maybe Wilson's Creek National Battlefield just serves stinky coffee. Who knows?
Peace.
ML
I'm not much for pining over Dead Actors, but Heath Ledger's passing was a kick in the gut. Talent--so much of it--left unused just sort of does that to me. He was a father and son; his family are the true mourners. Fans should simply be happy he left characters like Ennis Del Mar behind for posterity. Brokeback Mountain might have been overwrought Oscar bait, but the characters were divine. The tabloid blogosphere is agog with sorrow, rumors, and, if you can believe it, quite a bit of gay-bashing. Some people are just f***ing insane.
On the political spectrum, Matt Blunt is not running for a second term as Missouri's governor, a move that would seem to indicate some major jump in the political heirarchy: Local pundits have him as a possible No. 2 to good buddy Mitt Romney should he win the GOP nod for the White House. Others have him playing "family guy" for a few years until it's time for him to inherit his dad's U.S. House seat, or possibly even run for U.S. Senate.
Of course, it could also be partly attributable to the fact that Boy Blunt's (or Roy's Boy, or Boy Blunder, or whatever silly name Democrats tabbed him with from the start) first and only go-round as Missouri's governor was largely a disaster; his popularity fell immediately with unpopular Medicaid cuts all the way through the open-records scandal currently taking up so much newsprint in our state (News-Leader op-ed editor Tony Messenger has done a great job covering it). Well--he's been a disaster for everyone not wearing Balanced Budget Blinders (which I hear you can buy from vending machines outside most local Auto-Magic locations, as well as on eBay).
I interviewed Matt in 2004, while he was running for Governor against Claire McCaskill, and actually found him fairly well-spoken and congenial--at least over the phone; far less slippery and a little more direct than his old man, whom I also interviewed a couple of times. Roy brings in lots of dollars for this part of the state, and say thank'ya, but he's politician through and through. He also does not have very pleasant breath--or maybe Wilson's Creek National Battlefield just serves stinky coffee. Who knows?
Peace.
ML
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Wading around in the political muckity-muck
As a magazine editor/media member, it's sort of been ingrained in me to not wear my politics on my sleeve. My role is not one of persuasion--at least not in matters of elections--it's one of information and "equal time", as it were. GO Magazine does not endorse. Yes, GO Magazine tends to poke fun at the conservative mindset and ebrace more liberal tenets, but that is our niche. Not once have we come out for or against a particular candidate in a local or national election, and we're not going to start now.
It's a tough thing for media members to do, separating their personal and professional opinions, and not all succeed. One co-worker from early in my career whom I respected very much was essentially dismissed from her job (or walked away following an ultimatum, I heard the story second-hand), over her vocal political stances during the 2004 presidential race. On the other side of the coin: During that same race I worked at a publication where management allowed one staffer (whose job had nothing to do with politics or even news) to write an 800-word Hannity-inspired rant calling out a reader (a reader!) who wrote in in support of a liberal candidate or issue. I only share this story because both the writer and the manager in question--both of whom are very good people--are no longer working at that publication, and it serves to illustrate the conflict many members of the media deal with in political matters.
It's perhaps even more of a conflict at GO Magazine. As a somewhat off-the-cuff, progressively minded magazine (we do a Sex Issue and were a sponsor for PrideFest last year), I think people expect us to officially back a particular party or agenda, but this we cannot do. Our readers still need a fair shake, both sides of the story, and we will always do our best to give it to them. Making fun of Lee Greenwood, or coming out in favor of gay tolerance or environmental protection, is NOT the same thing as supporting all Democrats, as much as some people would like to think otherwise.
Oh, but I do have personal opinions; thankfully, this isn't GO Magazine's blog, and it's only with a slight degree of professional apprehension that I say a Mike Huckabee presidency might be one of the worst things ever to happen to the Oval Office. Worse than W04. Worse than Billy's blow job. The man is ignorant--if you're still considering voting for him, I urge you to Google "Huckabee+homosexuality" or "Huckabee+AIDS" (there, I just did it for you.) He is simple. The only things going for Huckabee are the fact that he often comes across as affable (which you can't say for any of the other GOP candidates, or most Dems for that matter) and he kinda looks like the offspring of Kevin Spacey and Droopy Dawg.
I'm not going to share my thoughts on other candidates, save one. I'm 95 percent sure I know who I'm going to vote for on February 5, but that decision is my own. I'll just say it won't be Huckabee, and leave it at that.
I will say this: I have thought for several years that this country is in no way, shape or form finished talking about race, or quit of the demons that have haunted us for better than 150 years. The '60s were 40-plus years ago. The Rodney King trial almost a decade and a half ago. Most of us have acquaintances or family who will still drop the N-bomb from time to time (or other various racial slurs). The more confident among us speak up, but what do most of us do? We roll our eyes, or turn away, or pretend we didn't hear their hateful talk.
I think Barack Obama has the potential--whether he's taking the oath of office in 12 months or not--to restart the race conversation in America. When that ignorant acquaintance says something awful, I think more Americans will speak up now that legitimate black candidate is in the collective national consciousness. I wish Obama himself would address the issue more openly. Yes, Hillary Clinton will re-open the conversation about sexism, to a lesser degree. It will be welcome--but in my eyes not nearly as urgent. I thought we were ready to have this race conversation in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but when the dramatic pictures--read: dead bodies and flooding--went away, Anderson Cooper and friends left the Big Easy to rot in its own backwater, returning only once every year in late August or--God forbid--the day another storm takes aim at southern Louisiana. Spike Lee, Tab Benoit and others have tried to keep the cry going, but it's falling on mostly deaf ears. We missed that chance, and it's not just George Bush's fault.
I hope we don't miss this chance.
Peace,
ML
It's a tough thing for media members to do, separating their personal and professional opinions, and not all succeed. One co-worker from early in my career whom I respected very much was essentially dismissed from her job (or walked away following an ultimatum, I heard the story second-hand), over her vocal political stances during the 2004 presidential race. On the other side of the coin: During that same race I worked at a publication where management allowed one staffer (whose job had nothing to do with politics or even news) to write an 800-word Hannity-inspired rant calling out a reader (a reader!) who wrote in in support of a liberal candidate or issue. I only share this story because both the writer and the manager in question--both of whom are very good people--are no longer working at that publication, and it serves to illustrate the conflict many members of the media deal with in political matters.
It's perhaps even more of a conflict at GO Magazine. As a somewhat off-the-cuff, progressively minded magazine (we do a Sex Issue and were a sponsor for PrideFest last year), I think people expect us to officially back a particular party or agenda, but this we cannot do. Our readers still need a fair shake, both sides of the story, and we will always do our best to give it to them. Making fun of Lee Greenwood, or coming out in favor of gay tolerance or environmental protection, is NOT the same thing as supporting all Democrats, as much as some people would like to think otherwise.
Oh, but I do have personal opinions; thankfully, this isn't GO Magazine's blog, and it's only with a slight degree of professional apprehension that I say a Mike Huckabee presidency might be one of the worst things ever to happen to the Oval Office. Worse than W04. Worse than Billy's blow job. The man is ignorant--if you're still considering voting for him, I urge you to Google "Huckabee+homosexuality" or "Huckabee+AIDS" (there, I just did it for you.) He is simple. The only things going for Huckabee are the fact that he often comes across as affable (which you can't say for any of the other GOP candidates, or most Dems for that matter) and he kinda looks like the offspring of Kevin Spacey and Droopy Dawg.
I'm not going to share my thoughts on other candidates, save one. I'm 95 percent sure I know who I'm going to vote for on February 5, but that decision is my own. I'll just say it won't be Huckabee, and leave it at that.
I will say this: I have thought for several years that this country is in no way, shape or form finished talking about race, or quit of the demons that have haunted us for better than 150 years. The '60s were 40-plus years ago. The Rodney King trial almost a decade and a half ago. Most of us have acquaintances or family who will still drop the N-bomb from time to time (or other various racial slurs). The more confident among us speak up, but what do most of us do? We roll our eyes, or turn away, or pretend we didn't hear their hateful talk.
I think Barack Obama has the potential--whether he's taking the oath of office in 12 months or not--to restart the race conversation in America. When that ignorant acquaintance says something awful, I think more Americans will speak up now that legitimate black candidate is in the collective national consciousness. I wish Obama himself would address the issue more openly. Yes, Hillary Clinton will re-open the conversation about sexism, to a lesser degree. It will be welcome--but in my eyes not nearly as urgent. I thought we were ready to have this race conversation in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but when the dramatic pictures--read: dead bodies and flooding--went away, Anderson Cooper and friends left the Big Easy to rot in its own backwater, returning only once every year in late August or--God forbid--the day another storm takes aim at southern Louisiana. Spike Lee, Tab Benoit and others have tried to keep the cry going, but it's falling on mostly deaf ears. We missed that chance, and it's not just George Bush's fault.
I hope we don't miss this chance.
Peace,
ML
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
My 10 Favorite Movies of 2007
Thanks for indulging me in one final "10 Best" post. I meant to get all of these up before 2008 officially began, but it didn't happen.
Like my book list, I only need to have seen a movie for the first time in 2007 for it to make my list. I'm doing good to make it to a movie theater a half dozen times a year.
10. The Simpsons Movie
I saw this one at the Springfield, Missouri premiere in July, one of 13 such premieres held in Springfield's around the country. We didn't win the "big official" premiere, but I'm glad. The hoopla would have been excrutiating--more than it already was. The movie was funny, but six months later I remember very little about it ('cept for Spider-Pig). It's so much easier to just watch the TV show.
9. Lars and the Real Girl
I reviewed Lars for GO Magazine, and gave it one of the more fawning reviews I've ever churned out. After reading a few more--some glowing, some not--I don't really feel much different. Sure, it was unrealistic. Most towns would have someone who shacks up with a sex doll committed, but the glory of this movie is that it's in a universe delightfully paralell to our own.
8. Mystic River
The only story to show up on both my books list and my movies list, I managed to catch all of Mystic River on my contraband pay-per-view (before Mediacom wised up and learned how to block LG TVs' descrambling powers. Boo). It's powerful, full of good actors (Tim Robbins as a sad sack? It works) and actresses. Who knew Laura Linney could crank out a Boston accent?
7. Air Guitar Nation
This was shown at Landers Theatre prior to the Ozarks air guitar finals, which I had the privilege to judge. It follows two Americans on their journey to Scandinavia (Sweden I think?) for the world air guitar finals. It's a relatively flawless documentary, full of characters you actually remember, which is a feat for any film.
6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
This was my least favorite Potter book, but the movie was superb, if not the best of the bunch to date. It appears young Hermione (Emma Watson) took some acting lessons, and now that they've locked the kids up (figuratively) for films 6 and 7, there's no worrying whether it's going to be their last films or not.
5. Knocked Up
The first of two pregnancy movies on this list, Knocked Up is one of those movies you can watch over and over, picking it up at any point and simply enjoying it for the laughs. Sure it's crude at times, but it's likeable... you never feel bad for any of the characters and the humor is never uncomfortable (See: Borat, 40-Year-Old Virgin).
4. Stranger Than Fiction
With this film (which I think came out in 2006, but I didn't rent until last spring), Will Farrell does what Adam Sandler and Jim Carry never could--pull a 180. This film is touching, funny, and gives one of the best lessons in humanity that I've ever received in a film. Plus, Maggie Gyllenhaal wa actually kinda hot for a change. Maybe it was the tattoos. Or the baking.
3. Half Nelson
Another one I rented a bit late. If Ryan Gosling was superb in Lars, he's a revelation in Half Nelson, which takes every formulaic "teacher" movie you've ever seen and stand it on its head. As the husband of a high school teacher I'll just tell you--while teachers don't commonly freebase in a locker room, Half Nelson is a heckuva lot more realistic than Freedom Writers.
2. American Gangster
Ever couple or three months, I'll take my dad to a movie. Dad is great, but (and I think the doctors would back me up) semi-narcoleptic. He can and does fall asleep at the drop of a hat. But Gangster--once it was through its kinda-confusing Act One setup, was a simply fantastic film. Denzel is always better as a "bad" guy, and there was even a Cuba Gooding Jr. sighting (as rival Nicky Barnes. The best movies make you want to leave the theatre and do something: After American Gangster I wanted to make millions dealing smack. Oh well.
And my number one movie of 2007...
1. Juno
I know, it's perhaps predictable. But I've simply met (and heard of) too many pregnant teens--hell, teens in general--not to find Juno MacGuff, Paulie Bleeker and friends delightful. Maybe it's their names. The glory is in the small things; for example, the worst day of her life happens while she's wearing a Slinky T-shirt. Juno is what happens when you take the innocent whimsy of Napoleon Dynamite, cross it with the ironic self-awareness of Fight Club (in fact, Ellen Page's voiceovers truly reminded me of Edward Norton's Narrator) and add a dash of the Griswolds.
Peace.
ML
Like my book list, I only need to have seen a movie for the first time in 2007 for it to make my list. I'm doing good to make it to a movie theater a half dozen times a year.
10. The Simpsons Movie
I saw this one at the Springfield, Missouri premiere in July, one of 13 such premieres held in Springfield's around the country. We didn't win the "big official" premiere, but I'm glad. The hoopla would have been excrutiating--more than it already was. The movie was funny, but six months later I remember very little about it ('cept for Spider-Pig). It's so much easier to just watch the TV show.
9. Lars and the Real Girl
I reviewed Lars for GO Magazine, and gave it one of the more fawning reviews I've ever churned out. After reading a few more--some glowing, some not--I don't really feel much different. Sure, it was unrealistic. Most towns would have someone who shacks up with a sex doll committed, but the glory of this movie is that it's in a universe delightfully paralell to our own.
8. Mystic River
The only story to show up on both my books list and my movies list, I managed to catch all of Mystic River on my contraband pay-per-view (before Mediacom wised up and learned how to block LG TVs' descrambling powers. Boo). It's powerful, full of good actors (Tim Robbins as a sad sack? It works) and actresses. Who knew Laura Linney could crank out a Boston accent?
7. Air Guitar Nation
This was shown at Landers Theatre prior to the Ozarks air guitar finals, which I had the privilege to judge. It follows two Americans on their journey to Scandinavia (Sweden I think?) for the world air guitar finals. It's a relatively flawless documentary, full of characters you actually remember, which is a feat for any film.
6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
This was my least favorite Potter book, but the movie was superb, if not the best of the bunch to date. It appears young Hermione (Emma Watson) took some acting lessons, and now that they've locked the kids up (figuratively) for films 6 and 7, there's no worrying whether it's going to be their last films or not.
5. Knocked Up
The first of two pregnancy movies on this list, Knocked Up is one of those movies you can watch over and over, picking it up at any point and simply enjoying it for the laughs. Sure it's crude at times, but it's likeable... you never feel bad for any of the characters and the humor is never uncomfortable (See: Borat, 40-Year-Old Virgin).
4. Stranger Than Fiction
With this film (which I think came out in 2006, but I didn't rent until last spring), Will Farrell does what Adam Sandler and Jim Carry never could--pull a 180. This film is touching, funny, and gives one of the best lessons in humanity that I've ever received in a film. Plus, Maggie Gyllenhaal wa actually kinda hot for a change. Maybe it was the tattoos. Or the baking.
3. Half Nelson
Another one I rented a bit late. If Ryan Gosling was superb in Lars, he's a revelation in Half Nelson, which takes every formulaic "teacher" movie you've ever seen and stand it on its head. As the husband of a high school teacher I'll just tell you--while teachers don't commonly freebase in a locker room, Half Nelson is a heckuva lot more realistic than Freedom Writers.
2. American Gangster
Ever couple or three months, I'll take my dad to a movie. Dad is great, but (and I think the doctors would back me up) semi-narcoleptic. He can and does fall asleep at the drop of a hat. But Gangster--once it was through its kinda-confusing Act One setup, was a simply fantastic film. Denzel is always better as a "bad" guy, and there was even a Cuba Gooding Jr. sighting (as rival Nicky Barnes. The best movies make you want to leave the theatre and do something: After American Gangster I wanted to make millions dealing smack. Oh well.
And my number one movie of 2007...
1. Juno
I know, it's perhaps predictable. But I've simply met (and heard of) too many pregnant teens--hell, teens in general--not to find Juno MacGuff, Paulie Bleeker and friends delightful. Maybe it's their names. The glory is in the small things; for example, the worst day of her life happens while she's wearing a Slinky T-shirt. Juno is what happens when you take the innocent whimsy of Napoleon Dynamite, cross it with the ironic self-awareness of Fight Club (in fact, Ellen Page's voiceovers truly reminded me of Edward Norton's Narrator) and add a dash of the Griswolds.
Peace.
ML
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