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    Thursday, June 24, 2004

    Because I don't want to risk a blog publishing frequency like Wolf's (oh, DAMN!), I figured I'd throw in a little update, despite the fact that not really anything of note has happened to me of late. Or, at least, not that I can remember.

    Oh wait, I just remembered.

    Of course, we've got the usual "busy at work" thing, this time because I'm working on a special awards show at the same time as my regular show. Very, very busy. But there has been some talk about advancement at the company. Don't want to jinx anything, but if what might happens actually does happen, I'll be lookin' pretty good.

    A while back, I went to a Hot Air Baloon and Wine festival in Temeculah with Crash and Bubbles, where the transition from New Englander to Westerner was almost ... just ALMOST visible.

    Christinia and Scottie will be coming into Los Angeles this week, so we will be busy with a large number of touristy / Hollywood-related activities. Surely, good stories will come out of that. At the very least, some good pictures.


    So I saw "Farenheit 9/11" last night, and now I'm going to write a little bit about it. Hopefully, it will make a little bit of sense, but in case you didn't know these things already, here they are:
    1. I am a registered Democrat.
    2. I really, really don't like or trust George W. Bush or the rest of his cabinet.
    3. I also think Michael Moore's tactics and messages are more often than not, counterproductive.

    That said, I think "Farenheit 9/11" was an undeniably fascinating film that should be seen by everyone, regardless of their political leanings. If you are even remotely interested in the power of filmmaking or documentaries, you *need* to go see this film. The use of montages, juxtaposition and music here went far beyond anything I've seen before. When a self-described "throwaway fluff pop song" like R.E.M.'s "Shiny Happy People" can become a sinister, threatening presence (and not merely in a straight-irony "Happy song / bad pictures" way, either), you know the filmmaker knows what he's doing. Even if he musses things up later on.

    If Moore's personal antics bother you, you'll be happy to find out (as I was), that he's only really fatured in 3 segments in the film, none of them last more than a few minutes, and none of them will make you feel uncomfortable for him. And all the jokes, exaggerations and silliness aside, what really makes this different from past Moore films is the powerful emotional core. There are a few scenes that are difficult to watch, a few scenes that could have been difficult to watch if Moore didn't do it right, and more than a few scenes that are genuinely heartbreaking.

    I just wish that instead of hiring a PR defense team, Moore had hired a PR / advertising team. The film is not nearly as radical as you probably think it is, and it would have been beneficial for potential audience members to get that message in the ads. Unfortunately, while "A Michael Moore film" will immediately sell for people already interested in Moore's persona / work, etc., it probably also turns off an equal, if not greater number. And those are the people who probably should see it the most.

    For further reading, Salon.com has a great "Yea" and "Nay" for Farenheit 9/11.
    posted at 8:11 PM

    Thursday, June 03, 2004

    ***
    If you watch G4TechTV at 10PM EST (7PM PST ... and rerunning probably a lot on the weekend), you will see the show "Pulse."

    I'm not sure if this is the episode that's airing, but if they mention a game called PsiOps, there is a strong possibility I will be shown in one of the skits on the episode.

    That is all.
    ***
    posted at 4:12 PM