that winning feeling

americans love to celebrate a winner and love to remind losers that they are losers until they win. it is too bad we do not focus on celebrating the experience of competition rather than just victory. within the the last month, some well-publicized futility streaks have come to an end. marty scorsese finally won his first best director oscar in five nominations and also best film. peyton manning and tony dungy hoisted the super bowl trophy that has eluded their entire careers until last month. even al gore and italian score composer ennio morricone got to taste receiving oscar. it is nice to see some folks persevere through all the frustration of consistently losing out the big prize to someone else earlier in their careers, and finally, through persistent effort and determination get to experience that winning feeling. cheers guys.

does anybody take john witherspoon’s acting seriously?

john witherspoon is hilarious. he will crack you up just by his posture and bug-eyed gaping mouth schtick. without even saying a word. it’s too bad that he doesn’t appear in many a-list pictures, like he did in ‘bulworth.’ and even in that one, he was just playing a bit part stereotypical inner city religious black dude. he would have been perfect in a billy wilder film from the 1950s or early 1960s with his over-expressive physical acting style that wilder favored. anyways, he should be cast in a big studio picture. and furthermore, i think he can do serious straight stuff too but is typecast in broad slapstick comedy roles because that’s where his paychecks are at. can you imagine john witherspoon in ‘pulp fiction’ or any role samuel l. jackson was cast in for that matter? shame on you spike lee. when are you going to cast the great john witherspoon?

how about if john witherspoon was in the star wars movies instead of samuel l. jackson? you scoff at me, and say lucas would never cast witherspoon because he is too urban black man and over-the-top… well, what the hell was lucas smoking when he signed off on jar jar and lando? imagine john witherspoon sitting on the jedi counsel and debating with yoda in full ‘friday’ movie mode with his sassy remarks. or making up his own light saber moves (maybe he had to skip out on george lucas’ manditory light saber training to earn some extra dough doing stand-up because lucas lowballed him by only paying him union scale wages and not offer him any franchise licensing royalities) in a duel against darth vader and the emperor? the topper would be if witherspoon won the light saber battle, he would be gloating, “bang, bang, bang, bang” with a hearty laugh while bobbing his head side-to-side. or how about witherspoon farting during the jedi counsel session and throwing suspicion on yoda instead of himself by accusing yoda of having old man farts from eating too many intergalactic yams? i can just picture john grilling spare ribs for a jedi picnic cookout. you know there has to be a bathroom scene with witherspoon. like maybe an intermission during the jedi counsel session… witherspoon is on the toilet with a can of air freshner, and then the next jedi complains of the stink witherspoon leaves behind. i would pay to see that because it would be some funny shit and more entertaining than those movies turned out to be. we need more laughter in our lives. all right… i’m stopping now before this gets outta hand. enough said.

hard copy versus digital copy

sorry… i am, indeed, desperate to get more people to check out my blog by posting 2007 ‘sports illustrated’ swimsuit (minus the swimsuit here actually) model marisa miller, who has nothing to do with this entry other than wearing an ipod. i apologize… i am really not here to bring “sexy” back, but just think of ms. miller’s photo as me wishing you readers a post-happy valentine’s! anyways, i am currently in the middle of cleaning out my room and realized i have accumulated a ton of books, magazines, comics, dvds, cds, prints, posters, pictures and tearsheets. so, i am wondering were the future formats of media are headed and the accepted practice of archiving them for people who like to collect things. should media just exist in the digital realm to save physical space? i am thinking of converting a lot of my cds to mp3 files to import into my computer and possibly scan some tearsheets and turn into digital files. cds take up a ton of space, and it sure is convenient to have your entire music library on itunes in your mac (sorry pc users) or in an ipod. tearsheets and photos as digital files in your computer eliminates physical clutter or a cumbersome filing/archive system in your home. i think it is a matter of time before mpeg files are made available, so you could store movies on your computer and not own a dvd hard copy anymore.

but i still choose not to read a book/magazine/comic or view a print/poster on a computer yet. there is something about beholding a publication and turning a page at your own leisure, or enjoying the smell of ink, or feeling the texture of the paper, or stepping back and viewing a print on your wall. i guess i love the size of a graphic in its actual physical form and dimensions rather than scrolling left to right or up and down or minimizing its dimensions to see the entire image on my monitor. i do like the way things are now, which is to say you have a choice of a digital copy for music and photos but still have a hard copy of a book or print. i must say if you only had the choice of hard copies, it would eventually crowd you out of your living space. at some point, everything will probably be stored and run off your computer, which leads to the more profound question i am pondering… choosing between a cyberspace realty, especially since we are becoming more reliant on computer technology for social interaction, or a physical realty that involves collecting tangible memorbillia.

david lynch’s ‘inland empire’

just saw david lynch’s ‘inland empire’ yesterday and must say it is more than just a movie. for those unfamiliar with lynch’s work, ‘inland empire’ will seem convoluted, but it does operate under rules making sense in terms of logic set up by lynch. although, i was not won over by the mini-DV look that lynch chose to shoot with, it is effective in conveying imagery, which is very evocative of a dream or fear of what lies in the dark or conjuring up the imagery of a scary story told to you at sleep-over when you were a kid. plus, the edward hopper homage in the theater is expressed fairly well by digital video. lynch offers many riddles about hollywood, and the imagery of ‘inland empire’ is an allegory for those riddles. i just think lynch should recut and offer another version that is shorter and leaner to resonate stronger. i thought some shots were too prolonged and the different plots kept expanding, which took it further away from closure, plus it got redundant after a while when laura dern is wandering around dark hallways or staircases (to illustrate lynch’s haunted house metaphor) and then entering a different story. anyways, i still don’t think i am completely dialed in (but that’s a typical reaction, seeing a lynch film the intial viewing), but i was definitely fascinated by it and would revisit it at my next most convenient opportunity.

alcoholism and gavin newsome

san francisco mayor gavin newsome’s recent announcement to seek rehab for his drinking problem has been received with public skepticism. i know the timing of the announcement is not the best since a few days before he publicly apologized for having an affair with his former campaign manager’s wife. this could be construed as newsome looking for a little public sympathy and an explanation for a lapse in his moral judgement. but if newsome is serious about coping with his alcoholism, he should be commended for recognizing his tendency and doing something to control it. for those of us who drink on a regular basis, who can say they can go without a drink once in the presence of a bar or restaurant? can a lot of people make the claim that they can go three days straight without a drink and then not binge when they finally go out for drinks? there is a place for alcohol in our lives, i just think we should be aware of it and not allow it to get out of hand in our daily lives. hopefully, for a lot of us, we won’t need to seek outside help to cope with it but have the will power in ourselves to control alcoholic compulsions and then not have to make appologies for an error in our moral judgement and, in turn, seek rehab.