I Could Have Been A Contender........

MSNBC has posted an interesting piece on the extremely bad luck of the John Edwards presidential campaign.

This is interesting to me because I have been a John Edwards supporter since December 2002, and to the annoyance of most of my friends, would say things like "Look out for this Edwards guy", and "Southerners are the only successful Democratic nominees."  In short, I was on his bandwagon way before most.

While this piece examines how close Edwards might have been to the nomination, his selection as VP on the ticket seems at times wise, and at others suspect.

Ben Kepple and I (when we are being civil) will discuss politics and the numerous strategies in picking a running mate.  My belief is, in a close election on the challenging side, you must swing electoral votes.  Edwards has charisma galore, which will indeed help Kerry's chances.  But I think 80% of the voting public, perhaps more, have already decided and it seems it is an even split at this point in time, before the conventions.  I see another photo finish, and I don't believe Edwards will be strong enough to actually SWING a state for Kerry.  I think a more prudent move might have been Bob Graham, who I believe is respected and strong enough to carry Florida, which depending on which report you believe, was already in the Dems' corner to begin with.

I guess the jury is still out, but the verdict is closer than we think.

I'll Take The Low Road.

I've yet to post anything that is truly low brow, and as such, I've got just the thing.

Enjoy.

In Defense of Fahrenheit 911

I don't think anyone, Democrat or Republican, foresaw Michael Moore's most recent documentary, Fahrenheit 911 causing such a stir months after its initial release.   I figured the film would only be viewed by moviegoers with a cemented opinion of Moore yet it remains popular and has become more widely known, suggesting more middle-of-the-road people are tuning in.

It's not his best film, although I find it incredibly moving.  A better bet would be The Big One or Bowling For Columbine.  N.B.  Look for Moore's fiction film Canadian Bacon in which the US invades Canada.  It also contains one of John Candy's last performances.

Fahrenheit 911 sure has pissed off conservatives, which I suppose was inevitable.  I can understand someone simply liking it or not, but the bitter attacks on Michael Moore as a human being I find pretty tasteless.  He is, after all, a respected author and filmmaker, not some hack without credentials.  I find it impossible to deny that he means well and truly cares about this country, however wrong one might find his ideas.

I thought I'd post his response to the accusations that he simply made up facts out of thin air. 
http://www.michaelmoore.com/warroom/f911notes/

In particular, check out the bipartisan NORC report on the 2000 Election.
http://www.aei.org/docLib/20040526_KeatingPaper.pdf

Given the consensus that both legal teams were actually hurting themselves, it can't be overstated just how unprepared our government, our people, and our media were in dealing with this scenario. 

Again, one can agree or disagree with Moore's hypothesis in Fahrenheit 911, it's just his theory which he offers for consideration by the viewer.  I personally think he does a pretty good job.   A bit over the top, I must admit, but hyperbole is nothing new in documentary filmmaking.

It's the facts that speak loudest to me.

Quality Control

I apologize for the number of spelling errors I've found while thumbing through the site.  I will spell check in the future, I type very quickly and find a lot of editing to be some strange form of cheating here at Sick Day.  Of course, that's silly.

Good day.

Bring'em Young

Ken Jennings, the Stomin' Mormon, has now won 36 straight days on Jeopardy! for a grand total of $1,194,660.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/12/entertainment/main628751.shtml

Jeopardy! must be happy they changed the rules to allow unlimited appearances, the show hasn't had this much buzz in years.

I won't be the only one watching tonight to see if he can keep the streak alive.  The guy seems unbeatable, a savvy mix of brains and quickness.  And he's barely 30.  I'M 28.  Jeez, Ken could conceivable send Alex to early retirement.

Tithe the best of times for Ken, the show, and the Mormon church.  (God, sorry about that one.)

Jerk Chicken

This puts a more literal spin on the term "choking the chicken."
http://money.cnn.com/2004/07/21/news/midcaps/pilgrims_pride.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes

Aye curumba.

Nukular Winter

This is hilarious........

David Letterman's Top Ten George W. Bush Complaints About FAHRENHEIT 9/11:

10. That actor who played the President was totally unconvincing.
9. It oversimplified the way I stole the election.
8. Too many of them fancy college-boy words.
7. If Michael Moore had waited a few months, he could have included the part where I get him deported.
6. Didn't have one of them hilarious monkeys who smoke cigarettes and gives people the finger.
5. Of all Michael Moore's accusations, only 97% are true.
4. Not sure--I passed out after a piece of popcorn lodged in my windpipe.
3. Where the hell was Spider-man?
2. Couldn't hear most of the movie over Cheney's foul mouth.
1. I thought this was supposed to be about dodge ball.

America's REAL Favorite Pasttime

Yes, folks, you guessed it, celebrity gossip.  It's really getting out of hand, is it not?  I mean, I try really REALLY hard to avoid actually knowing the marital status of Britney Spears and her fiance's second child out of wedlock. 
http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/21/people.spears.ap/index.html

I just can't run that fast.  So with that said, my old chum Ben Kepple, in his excellent Daily Rant (http://www.benkepple.com/) has practically perfected the art of celebrity satire (how's THAT for alliteration??).

In a recent post, he declared he would not soon let up on the idiots we are forced to stomach every day, from a multitude of media mechanisms (I'm at it again).  Jennifer Lopez, you will soon get your degree from the Whitney Houston School of Humilation and Laughingstockdom.  Take a class with Britney and Courtney Love, and study hard, the media are waiting.  To them, who you were caught smoking a cigarette with (Hey, look, it's a Viceroy!) is much more interesting, than say, the election, AIDS, or anything REALLY important...like how much your record STINKS!

I can't really add much that Mr. Kepple has not already stated eloquently so I will quit while I'm ahead.  Bonus points to him for mentioning Liechtenstein, I'm not sure how or why you did, but it's brilliant nonetheless.

It's About Time

Finally, Bill Clinton is getting the credit he deserves.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5474580/

I fashion myself an amateur presidential historian of sorts, and even I can poke a few holes in this.  I will, of course, abdicate.

It's nice to see a fair look at Republican and Democratic presidents together.  Usually, one side takes credit for the good and sticks the other with the bad, and vice versa. 

GO WILLY!!!!!!

An interesting point made here:  Jimmy Carter actually ranks first in total job creation!  Who knew.

I have a conservative friend or two who will no doubt skewer me on this, but I take it in stride.
Reagan still gets his due, whether I like it or not, so there.  Clinton is great and that's that.

For the record, the worst president of all time must surely be James Buchanan.

Tongue Tied

Perhaps unintentionally drawing attention to her father's own tongue-twisted speaking, Jenna Bush gave photographers "the tongue" yesterday.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/07/21/jenna.bush.ap/index.html

Hey, at least she didn't tell them to go fuck themselves.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/24/cheney.leahy/

I love election years.

Chicken or the Borscht?

Apparently, flying in Russia is not too safe.  Not because of unruly passengers, mind you, but due to drunk, out-of-control flight crews.

Crikey!  As if flying to Nizhnevartovsk, Siberia isn't insult enough, a gentleman known only as "A. Chernopup" literally took a beating, suffering a black eye after the flight crew deemed it necessary when he requested a sober crew serve his food.

See the full story here.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/07/21/reverse.air.rage.ap/index.html

Imagine if he had asked for the kosher meal......

Two Wallaces Are Better Than One

God Bless Joe Dumars.

Fresh after helping to secure the 2004 NBA Championship, the Detroit Pistons former great and present guru, Joe D has gotten Rasheed "the Weed" Wallace to return.
http://www.freep.com/sports/pistons/pistons16e_20040716.htm

Repeat anyone?

Calm Before The Storm

It's occured to me, now that August approaches, that we've had shockingly few really hot days here in my neck of the woods.  I checked the 10 day forecast, and 87 is the highest temperature predicted, and a few highs are in the 70s.

Can this be true?  Or is it all a sick dream, in which August has a good 15 days of blistering 95 degree weather?

I have a feeling it's about to get interesting around here.

Well, at least football season is near.....

I live in a neat area here in Jersey, in that I've been sandwiched in the midst of three major sports markets.  When I lived in Hamilton, near Trenton (which is almost halfway between Philadelphia and the NYC metro area), I (courtesy of the good people at Cablevision) had access to the complete schedules of the Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, and the New York Islanders.  I watch A LOT of hockey.

You see, I spent a great deal of my formative years in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  I then went to "uni" in Ann Arbor.  So I love Detroit teams most, with a nagging interest in the fortunes of the Chicago White Sox.

I, like many sports fans from Michigan, find hockey to be the best sport to follow.  Part of this, of course, is a natural affinity for the Detroit Red Wings which, in my case, has blossomed into an irrational obsession.  I watch the NHL playoffs like they are going out of style, and that might in fact be the case.  Ratings are terrible, expansion happened way to quickly, and a nasty dispute over collective bargaining has left the "state of the game" in, well.....distress.
http://nhlcbanews.com/transcripts/bettman_draft062504.html

For the Red Wings, things may never quite be the same.  They aren't exactly the Yankees of hockey, although they are certainly big spenders, in any case.  The commitment of owner Mike Illitch, of Little Caesar's fame (It's CHEESE!!!!) has been a major factor in taking three Stanley Cup titles in 6 seasons (1997, 1998, 2002). 

The reality of a partially or completely lost NHL season is finally taking shape and I'm downright pissed.  For once, I actually side with "the man" and think the owners have the better hand here.  Bottom line, players make too damn much in contrast to the money made by the league and the respective franchises.  Canadians teams can barelt stay afloat.  I can't imagine the players agreeing to a vast new system without a hell of a fight.  The league would rather sit than watch more cash disappear.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed and am looking forward to Michigan Football, a Big Ten title, and the ever improving Detroit Lions.  Yes, I know, the Detroit Lions.  Stop laughing.
http://www.detroitlions.com/section_display.cfm?section_id=13&top=21&level=2

 

 

Killing The Dream

Greetings-
 
My cousin Joel (Spence) is quite the excellent actor, who has spent most of his acting days in theatre, including a stop on Broadway last year in a riveting and inventive version of Hamlet at the New Victory Theater in Times Square, NYC.
 http://www.jeunelune.com/news/publishedReview.asp?reviewID=4
 
He has since moved to Los Angeles (where a great deal of the Einspahr clan resides) to pursue a TV/movie career, and is making in-roads.  I feel compelled to write about his most recent film, a "mockumentary" a la Christopher Guest called "Killing the Dream."  I have yet to see it, but check out the trailer.....  http://homepage.mac.com/brindi/iMovieTheater5.html
 
This is the synopsis posted on the official website:
 
Tagline: Cinema Vérité This!
 
John and Ken have made a pact: They will either make a movie by the time they're 38, or they will put .38's to each other's heads, count to 3 (or 38 'cuz it's like a theme) and pull the trigger. Using their friends, neighbors and a "Real Hollywood Actor", they will set out to fulfill their life-long dream. Or perhaps, beat it to death.
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE"Killing the Dream", a mocumentary about independent filmmaking, written, directed and edited by Brian Keith Dalton was awarded the Grand Jury Award by an international panel of judges at the 9th Annual Temecula Valley International Film Festival. By winning this award, "Killing the Dream" now qualifies to compete in front of an international audience at the Rome Independent Film Festival in February 2004. This is Brian Dalton's first feature length film. "Killing the Dream" awarded Artistic Director's Citation at the Ojai Film Festival 2003!
 
I am very proud of my cousin and I hear rumours this film will be distributed on DVD and theaters in the future.
 
This is a still from the film (Joel is on the left.)  http://homepage.mac.com/brindi/.Pictures/J%26K%20Goofy%20Faces.jpg
 
Peace.
 

It was twenty (well, five) years ago today....

July 20, 1969, one of the more exciting days of the 20th century; I unfortunately was not there to witness Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon, but I can always catch the highlights......
 
It is still quite suprising to me that we've yet to return, although focus on the Space Station and the Space Shuttle missions have appropriately shifted our focus.
 
Look who, 25 years later, is planning an encore.....http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1997747.stm
 
Oh dear.

Sink Or Swim

Well,
 
I've finally decided to jump squarely and decisively on the blog bandwagon.  I'm not exactly sure what I'm in for, but hey, that's part of the fun.  Should you accidently find yourself in my little corner of the net, tread softly and look around, sooner or later, I'll have something to say.
 
For now, I bid you adieu.