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Two days ago, a crazed gunman opened fire on a crowd in front of a Safeway in Tucson, Arizona. Six people were killed and fourteen others were wounded. The apparent target, Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in the head but survived and is currently in critical condition.
The gunman apparently isn't talking to police, so we can only speculate as to why he did what he did. Frankly, I think the question of motive is beside the point. The press, along with other commentators and observers, want to frame the tragedy mainly within the frame of the nation's current political landscape and its implications. But the guy was violently insane, so politics can't possibly tell the whole story. This is a time of mourning, respect, and reflection, not a time to give credence to the twisted mindset of a mass-murderer.
But even if we shouldn't be devoting too much attention to the gunman, the tragedy does give the American people an opportunity to examine several important concerns. Like how a state's lax gun laws can allow a mentally-disturbed person to buy a gun without a permit or a background check. Or whether it's healthy for journalists and commentators to say that all people from the opposite side of the political spectrum are traitors comparable to Communists and Nazis. Or whether it's a good idea for wide-reaching cable news outlets to espouse fringe conspiracy theories about government takeovers and present them as fact on a daily basis. Or whether there can be consequences to using crosshairs to mark congressional districts on a map or using rhetoric like "Second Amendment remedies" or "Don't retreat, RELOAD."
It's easy to say "Politics are to blame! So-and-so is responsible!" and leave it at that. But we need to go beyond that and do what we should be doing all along. We need to look at ourselves, our public officials, and our sources of news and information. We need to look at how we take in the information that we're given and, most importantly, how we treat each other.
These are complex, reflexive, society-examining issues, and hopefully these are the issues that we will discuss and debate for some time to come.
But first and foremost, right now is a time for prayer and respect for the victims and their families.
Wow, up until yesterday, I had almost completely forgotten that Comic Con is happening this weekend. I guess it doesn't speak well for the Con that my interest in it has decreased to the point that I don't even really care to pay attention to the scheduling this year, let alone pay for registration. (Granted, I'm going to a wedding on Saturday, so I'm physically unable to make it to Comic Con this year anyway. But even if I was free, I'm not sure I'd make the effort to go this year.)
In a way, it's a relief. The feeling of not going to Comic Con reminds me of how I felt last year when I decided to not sign up for my work's fantasy football league. Gone is the burden of having to rack my brain, picking and choosing and plotting my every move over the course of two 16-18 hour days. No running, no crowds, no drain on my wallet. Every so often, life requires you to stop and take a break, right?
Of course, I'll still miss being there this year, since I've had plenty of good times in the past. Who could forget Spike & Mike's Gauntlet of Sick and Twisted Animation? Or Jerry Beck's Worst Cartoons Ever showcase? Or the Brisco County Jr. panel with Bruce Campbell? Or getting into an epic gunfight with the cast of Spaced? Or meeting Troma head honcho Lloyd Kaufman? Or meeting Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi and getting a free personalized drawing from him? Man, I'm getting all nostalgic now. Makes me really wish I could go this year.
But for all the awesome panels and occasional encounters with living legends, there are plenty of things to gripe about. For one, the aforementioned crowds and lines. Comic Con wasn't always the insanely crowded high demand extravaganza that it is today. I remember taking a trolley downtown on a Sunday afternoon and casually strolling into the convention center with practically no wait time in 2005. The following year, my good friend (coincidentally, the same friend whose wedding I'm attending this weekend) had to stand in line for three hours, just barely making it in before they had to cut the line off completely and start turning people away.
Since then, Comic Con has strictly been a "buy tickets in advance" type of event. In 2007, Friday & Saturday passes sold out days in advance. In 2008, all four days were sold out weeks in advance. Now, if you wanna go, you need to register more than half a year in advance because the passes sell out so quickly (many of which are bought by scalpers and sold for huge markups on the black market, a.k.a. eBay). This eliminates the possibility of waiting to see what the guests and panels are gonna be before deciding on going. You have to throw down your hard-earned cash for the sole purpose of attending the convention. Any cool guests or panels that happen to get scheduled are really only an added bonus.
Once you finally make it to the San Diego Convention Center, you find yourself surrounded by tens of thousands of sweaty fans at every turn. Even with the attendance caps, Comic Con is very crowded. It's inevitable, but annoying nonetheless. Walking through the western and central areas of the exhibit hall is an experience comparable to driving north on the 405 during rush hour. You have to deal with the crowds by figuring everything out ahead of time. If there's a panel you really wanna see, you have to head over to the room two or three hours in advance and camp out, and you have to be prepared to spend those two or three hours standing in line.
Going to Hall H on a whim probably isn't going happen. In fact, if you want to see anything in Hall H at any point during the day, it's probably best to just get there first thing in the morning and spend the whole day there. Unfortunately, much of the time, seeing one panel that you want to see means having to skip another panel that you also want to see, even if you have a decent gap of time in between the two. You just have to pick your battles. You're not going to see everything you want to, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you can stop worrying and enjoy the day.
The increased crowd sizes and higher profile of the event can be explained pretty easily: the convention has been taken over by the entertainment industry. What was once a hardcore yet low-key gathering of nerds and fanboys has changed over the past decade into a preview showcase for every movie distributor, TV channel, and media conglomerate in the country. A-list celebrities and big-name directors talk about their new projects and have Q & A sessions. Studios unveil clips of new movies to the public for the first time. It's where "buzz" and "hype" are created. All the nerdy stuff is still there too, of course. But with each passing year, we see the nerd culture of Comic Con being pushed slightly more to the side.
This year, this trend goes beyond the standard fears of the comic section of the exhibit hall shrinking. The registration price for exhibitors has jumped from $75 to $200 (source: Cartoon Brew), essentially discouraging smaller-scale exhibitors from even being able to attend the event. They've also cracked down on attendees registering as professionals. It used to be that anyone who worked in the entertainment industry got two free passes. Now the passes are reserved for industry professionals with creative/production jobs and a thorough list of credits and credentials. Essentially, they're slowly but surely driving out a significant contingent of the convention's lifeblood. Drive out the independent artists, more room for multibillion-dollar media giants. I shudder to think about what Comic Con will look like in five years.
Let's face it: Comic Con has jumped the shark. The days of it actually being centered around comics have long since passed. Last year, ABC had a panel for a new Patricia Heaton sitcom (the program noted "being a housewife is kinda like being a superhero..."). E! News gives Comic Con recaps and highlights the Monday after the convention ends. Last year's most popular panel was the friggin' Twilight panel. Clearly, something is wrong here.
So how do we remedy the situtation? How can Comic Con get back to its roots? My recommendation: have two conventions. It's a fact that Comic Con has gotten too big. They've expanded slightly by having some panels at the next door Hilton ballroom, but the problems remain. There's been plenty of open speculation about whether the convention will stay in San Diego or head elsewhere in a few years to try to accommodate its growing size. The purists are upset about the convention's shift away from what's supposed to be its main focus.
So let's create a separate convention for all of the high-profile entertainment industry stuff. It can be in San Diego or Los Angeles or Las Vegas or wherever they want to do it. Most of the panels that would normally occupy Hall H and Ballroom 20 can be held in their own separate time and place. All of the studios and organizations and celebrities can converge in one place and present first-hand footage and information for highly-anticipated upcoming projects. It'll still be the second biggest entertainment industry showcase of the year (the Oscars being the biggest). Everyone gets to see the stars, hear the news, and have a great time. Call it Entertainment Con, or whatever.
Meanwhile, let Comic Con be Comic Con. Let the emphasis be on comics, animation, video games, collectibles, art, and general nerd culture. Some products of the mainstream entertainment industry can still be a part of it. 20th Century Fox's Futurama comes to mind as a high-profile program that still fits in at Comic Con. Troma can stay. Bruce Campbell can stay. Hell, we could even keep the panels for blockbuster movies specifically based on comics or video games. And of course, Kevin Smith can still have his annual Q & A session. But honestly, most of the TV and movie panels currently at Comic Con don't really need to be there.
Moving all of the extraneous stuff elsewhere will clear a lot of space in both the panel ballrooms and the main exhibit hall. And of course, leave the damn thing in San Diego! The San Diego Convention Center is the perfect location. The biggest problems with San Diego (crowds, expensive hotels) are the direct results of the insanely high demand for the event. If you carefully scale the whole thing down a little, it'll be a richer, more enjoyable experience for everyone.
Of course, this would mean that much less corporate cash would flow into the event. That shouldn't matter to a non-profit organization like Comic Con, but it will. So the odds of them kicking out the most high-profile exhibitors anytime soon are slim to nil. In the real world, money typically triumphs over integrity.
The voices of discontent grow louder and louder each year. Thousands are clamoring for a return to order that doesn't appear visible anytime soon. But in the meantime, artists, exhibitors, and fans are banding together and attempting to recapture the spirit of what Comic Con once was, as evident in the creation of groups like Creator Con. It could be an interesting time for the creative contingent, the people that make up the true heart and soul of Comic Con. Nerd culture has been co-opted by the giants of the entertainment industry, so artists and like-minded individuals have the opportunity to break free and start something new, something better, something that whole-heartedly celebrates the things that brought Comic Con into existence in the first place.
All that said, I still think that going to Comic Con is generally more of a positive experience than a negative one. So let's hope that Comic Con listens to the concerns of its truest devotees and gets its act together. But if that doesn't happen, it's nice to know that alternatives with more focus and integrity are taking shape out there.
An eventful TV season, with lots of good shows coming to an end. It's sad to see them go, but it's always better to see a show end while it's still in relatively top form rather than have it go on too long and become stale, thus tarnishing the reputation and enjoyment of the series as a whole (All in the Family, The Simpsons, Family Guy, etc.) Plus, this means that there are fewer shows that I have to worry about watching next year, meaning more time to actually, like, be productive and stuff.
WARNING: MANY, MANY SPOILERS AHEAD
Lost
What a season and what an ending. It's always been a good enough show that I've always enjoyed going along for the ride without knowing the how and why of everything that's going on, so it was a little disconcerting to actually start getting explanations about Jacob and the Smoke Monster and why everyone was brought to the island, and that it all boiled down to a battle between good and evil over the fate of the world, more or less. But through and through, the show still maintained an air of intrigue and mystery and managed to be one hell of a ride.
And it had a good ending: the Jack/Locke rivalry running through the entire series came to a head (even if it wasn't really Locke in the end), good triumphed over evil once and for all, Jack took charge and completed his six year-long transition from man of science to man of faith, Sawyer and the gang finally got off the island, Kate finally got to rescue Claire, and the island has new benevolent caretakers in Hurley and Ben. And best of all, everything on the island was real. No lame "it was all a dream" or "they were dead all along" endings, although a lot of people seem to be under the impression that they did all die in the plane crash. Hell, actual publications are printing articles complaining about the show based on the misinterpreted "everyone's dead" concept.
The key moment of the flash-sideways occurs when Christian tells Jack something along the lines of "Everyone dies. Some before you, some long after you." The people who died on the island died on the island. Hurley and Ben probably lived on for thousands of years. And the people who escaped on the plane made it home and lived full lives. Or maybe they crashed in the ocean. Who knows? That side of the story was open-ended; make up your own epilogue. Then everyone met up in a purgatory completely independent of time that showed them what life would've been like if the island had never existed, with the ultimate message being the notion that their time spent with each other on the island was the most important time of their lives (which could explain why Michael, walt and others weren't there; their time on the island wasn't all that enjoyable or meaningful in their own lives). Everyone comes together in the end and learns to let go of/move on from the things holding them down. It was fuzzy, heartwarming, and kind hokey. And beautiful. Not a perfect ending, but a near perfect ending for this show.
Oh, and the shots of the wreckage during the credits? Meaningless. Just a nod to where everything got started. ABC even made an official statement saying so. Calm down, people. I just don't see where all the "This show wasted six years of my life!" sentiment is coming from, beyond any misinterpretation of the ending. The whole show has always been rooted in the mystical and supernatural. The ending isn't any real deviation from that. And while plenty of small, insignificant questions went unanswered, most of the big questions were. It wasn't perfect, but it was a solidly interesting and entertaining wrap up to one of the best shows of the decade. It's been one hell of a ride.
24
24 has been another one of the best shows of the past decade. It was an action drama that struck a chord by combining an inventive format with post-9/11 concerns about terrorism and national security. Though not always eloquent or accurate, it got us thinking about serious issues like torture, corruption, and the moral fiber of a nation in wartime. Eight years was long enough. The plot cliches had been well-worn for years. (The middle eastern terrorists are being backed by the Russians! And the U.S. government is taking over operations at CTU! And there's a mole in CTU! And the bad guy wants an immunity deal!) But the show still at least managed to be fairly entertaining most of the time. Okay, season 6 was terrible. And until the show's cancellation was announced, I had given up watching season 8 for a good month or so. But overall, it was a kick-ass show that I was happy to have around for a while.
The last season started off pretty slow, to the point that many loyal fans got tired and jumped ship. But as the main storylines started to wrap up, the show got more interesting and exciting from week to week, culminating in Jack Bauer unhinged and on a killing spree for the last few episodes. It was interesting to see them do away with the "bending the rules to save the world" theme and have Jack degenerate into cold-blooded revenge. It was looking like the show would end in a way that Jack Bauer could never come back from (i.e. He can't come back and save the country if he's wanted for killing foreign officials). That's what happened, but they still ended the show in a way that leaves the door open for more Jack Bauer adventures somewhere down the road. In short, it felt like an intense season finale, not an epic culmination of the entire series. But I enjoyed it. After growing stale and nearly unwatchable, the show had a nice mini-comeback as one of TV's more exciting powerhouses.
One of the most lasting moments of the season (and probably the series): Jack tortures this Russian guy to try to get information (one aspect of the show I won't miss), absolutely eviscerates him - I mean, I've never seen anything this brutal on network TV before. It was genuinely tough to watch. He gets nowhere though, and finally he retreats to another side of the room and quietly utters, "Dammit, this isn't working." The show has been criticized over the years for espousing a "Torture good!" stance, but this scene demonstrates that things were a little more complicated than that. The show was never just black-and-white, but ventured into various grey areas, areas of endless debate with regard to national security and the shape of the world. For better or for worse, 24 was a show of its time. Sayonara, Jack Bauer.
The Sarah Silverman Program
I've always liked this show, but felt that it's the kind of show that would function best with a relatively short lifespan. And after a mere 32 episodes over three seasons, that's exactly what happened. Comedy Central almost didn't even make a third season (the Logo channel saved the show at the 11th hour by agreeing to split the season's production costs), and they buried the show halfway through the season by moving its timeslot from 10:30 pm to midnight. It's sad, but fitting, since the show seemed destined to be more of a cult hit than something with widespread appeal. But it remained ridiculous and offensive right up to the end, with Sarah's dog going back in time and stopping the Holocaust from happening. And now I have the "banana cop" song stuck in my head.
The Office
Another great comedy came to an end this past year, one of the best comedies to hit network TV in years. When the American adaptation of The Office first started, it was a miserably awkward clone of the British version. But before long, the show established its own identity and became one of the most solid shows on TV. It was funny, clever, interesting, entertaining - an all around oustanding show for at least the second and third seasons. The next few seasons suffered a little due to storylines that were never properly fleshed out and the use of cheap deus-ex-machina plot devices (the end of the Michael Scott Paper Company story arc, in particular). But when everything clicked, it was a thing of beauty.
It was odd to see a series come to an end in the middle of a season, but in all honesty, the wedding episode was a perfect way to end the series, a beautiful conclusion to the entire Jim/Pam dynamic that fueled the show for so long. It was easily one of the best hours of TV this year, and it's good to see the show go out on a high note. If the show had kept going on after that episode, it probably just would've been a pale shadow of its former self, with nothing fresh or funny happening, and with no driving force to keep the show interesting. It's nice to see a show that has some class and knows when to wrap things up instead of plummeting into mediocrity. It had a good run, and it will be missed.
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
New Shows
Modern Family was not only the best new show this year, but I'd even go as far as calling it the second best show on TV this past year (right behind Lost). It's like Arrested Development meets The Office, with a little heart thrown in. Outstanding writing week after week, and great performances from all the actors involved. Good, funny stuff all around. An excellent piece of work that stands head and shoulders above most of the comedies out there. My second favorite new show was Justified, a cool, modern-day western that has never blown me away but has always put a smile on my face simply because of how well each episode works. This show could have a great future ahead of it. And let's not forget Community. For a while, I was on the fence about this one. It's consistently funny enough to keep watching each week, but a lot of the first season wasn't anything particularly special. For much of the year, I used this show as a barometer for how good a show needs to be in order for me to justify watching. Now, I view it simply as a damn good show. Not sure how long of a shelf life it can have, but I'm definitely enjoying it for now.
I got into Glee briefly, and then gave up on it just as quickly. I had minor surgery a few months ago and was out of commission for a few days. During that recovery time, I borrowed my roommate's Glee Volume One DVD, which had the first 13 episodes. So I watched and gradually got sucked into it. Yeah, it's basically just a cheesy soap opera with musical numbers, like High School Musical for teenagers. It's reputation for being edgy and satirical is somewhat of an overstatement. It's about as edgy as the movie Mean Girls. But despite all that, it still manages to be just funny and clever enough to be worth watching. And the first 13 episodes actually were pretty fun to watch. Then I made the mistake of watching the show once its hiatus ended in April. In their first episode back, they quickly undid everything that they had spent the first 13 episodes building toward. The whole thing smacked of desperation to keep things interesting by "mixing it up" or, more accurately, hitting the reset button. Then the second new episode was essentially an hour-long informercial for Madonna. They even had Jane Lynch (the rock of the show, the only real thing holding the show back from mediocrity) and had her character spend the entire episode going on and on about the greatness of Madonna. After about ten minutes, I threw in the towel for good. Record industry product placement aside, the show went from clever dramedy to just unwatchable. I also started and gave up on The Good Wife. It's a solid show, but it's basically just your typical courtroom drama, which has never really appealed to me.
Returning Shows
I watched the first three seasons of 30 Rock last summer and loved every minute of it. The fourth season was no exception. Great stuff all around. Probably the funniest show on TV right now. Parks & Recreation wins this year's most improved award. Like The Office, it got off to a slow start in its first season. But season two started off on a high note and the show never looked back. What started as awkward and unsuccessful eventually fulfilled its potential and became an endearingly funny and offbeat show with one of the best casts on TV. And there's South Park, which is still going strong. At this point, the show has been on long enough that it's not really worth debating whether or not it jumped the shark (or how many times it has). At this point, it's just a funny, outrageous show that's always there to poke fun and pop culture and provide a few good laughs. The 200th/201st episode extravaganza was a fun treat for the fans, even with Comedy Central's apparent meddling.
We'll see what happens in the fall. Hopefully there'll be one or two new shows worth checking out. And I can't wait for Conan's new show. (A gamble, but a good fit for Conan's mid-sized but fiercely devoted fanbase, not to mention an interesting test for the entire cable TV medium.) But until then, here's to summer, reruns, and having more free time.
I was looking forward to this year's draft, but also dreading it. Speculation was rampant on the interwebs, as it is every year. The 1, 2, and 3 picks were pretty much set in stone with Bradford, Suh, and Gerald McCoy. But after that, the choices of the remaining teams seemed pretty up in the air, possibilities abound. Some mock drafts had the Raiders not filling their most immediate needs at offensive and defensive tackle and instead going with the best talent available, like linebacker Ronaldo McClain or quarterback Jimmy Clausen. But the majority of the sports analysts out there seemed pretty sure that the Raiders would use the no. 8 overall pick on offensive tackle Bruce Campbell. Campbell has a lot of upside, and his stock was raised significantly with an incredible showing at this year's Combine. But on film, he ranged from mediocre to decent, and he didn't have many college accolades to bolster his case. He's a guy with a lot of raw talent and potential, but whether or not he can actually make use of them and become a capable starter is a huge question mark. Most rankings had him projected as a second-rounder at best. In other words, he was the perfect stereotypical Raider draft pick candidate: impressive numbers, not much else - a huge reach if taken in the first round. Also picking up steam in the Raiders rumor mill was Mike Iupati, an offensive guard projected as a mid-late first-rounder. Again, another reach if taken no. 8 overall. If the "insider" buzz held true, this was shaping up to be another wasted draft in typical Raiders fashion, like Darrius Heyward-Bey all over again.
4th pick: The Bucs select OT Trent Williams. Damn. I was hoping (but not expecting) that he'd fall to the Raiders. Russell Okung, the only other "sure thing" OT in this year's draft goes to Seattle with the 6th pick. So what offensive tackles are left at this point? There's Bryan Bulaga, originally projected by many to go in the top 6. The fact that he's still available could be seen as a good value, although a lot of teams were concerned about his arm length and overall ability to be a playmaker at the pro level. There's also Anthony Davis, who has some concerns about weight fluctuation and work ethic but still projected as an early-mid first-rounder. Oh, and Bruce Campbell. As far as defensive tackles go, Dan Williams is still available, another early-mid first-rounder. There are a few options for the Raiders at this point. If they want to fill the gaps at OT or DT, they might have to reach slightly. They'd get solid player, albeit not a guaranteed sure thing. Or they could go with a combine freak or whoever posted the fastest 40 time, as has come to be expected of Al Davis by now.
BUt then the Raiders defied all expectations and made a pick that actually made a surprising amount of sense: they went with the best player available - LB Rolando McClain. The LB spot wasn't their more glaring need, with Kirk Morisson still on the roster, and significant depth at the outside LB spots. But McClain is a player who not only possesses solid defensive skills, but the intelligence and awareness to be a genuine leader on the field. I haven't followed his college career, but he seems like he could be good for this team. I'm cautiously optimistic.
Other interesting happenings in the first round: Tim Tebow, of course. He was one of the best QBs in college history, but there are major concerns about whether or not he'll ever be able to perform at the pro level. He'll need a few years of work before he's ready to be an impact player, if at all. So Denver trading up to get him in the late first round instead of waiting for the second or third round is a huge gamble. If it pays off, then Josh McDaniels is a genius. If not, it's a wasted first-round pick. Even with all that, my pick for biggest first-round reach is the Jaguars passing up on Jimmy Clausen and Dan Williams and taking some DT I've never heard of with the 10th overall pick. Maybe they know something that no one else does, but it seems like a reach. They probably could've traded down if they really wanted him. San Diego moving all the way up from 28 to 12 was pretty interesting too. With the pick and all that they had to give up to move up that far, Ryan Matthews will have to be an immediate impact player for this move to pay off. I think he'll be fine, though. As far as players I'd originally been looking at as potential Raider picks: Anthony Davis ended up being picked by the 49ers at no. 11, Bryan Bulaga fell from the top ten to the Packers at no. 23, and Dan Williams somehow lasted until the Cardinals pick at no. 26.
In the second round... First off, let me say that I like the new format of the draft. By having the first round on one day and the second round on the next, it makes the second round seem significantly more important. Now teams can think about their first round pick(s) for a while and figure out what they really need next. More time for trades, more time for analysis. It makes the draft more interesting overall. But anyway... in the second round, the Raiders didn't pick up Bruce campbell as predicted, but instead got a solid DT, which takes care of their most glaring defensive need. The third round comes along, and Campbell is still available. While taking him in the first round would've been a huge reach, taking him in the third round doesn't sound so bad. Nevertheless, the Raiders pass on him again to take some other OT. Maybe the Raiders weren't sold on campbell after all. Oh well. But... and this is where it gets interesting... apparently, no other teams were sold on Campbell either, because by the time the second day was said and done, Bruce Campbell was still without a team. Finally, in the fourth round early on the third day, the Raiders picked Campbell. This way, now they have two rookie OTs to work with. I like the potential here. I don't know much about the rest of their picks, but most of them sound fairly decent.
Of course, the big news on day 3 had little to do with draft picks. In a manner fitting a draft that seemed to break from the traditional Al Davis bad decision mindset, the Raiders acquired longtime Washington Redskins starting QB Jason Campbell for a 2012 fourth-round draft pick. The Raiders already have four QBs on the roster, but they're all questionable as starters for 2010. Bruce Gradkowski played well in his starts last year, but he's hurt. Even when healthy, it remains to be seen if he's good enough to build an offense around. Charlie Frye is purely a backup. New acquisition Kyle Boller is a former starter who's fallen on hard times and was brought in as insurance for Gradkowski's recent pectoral tear. And then we have JaMarcus Russell. After being picked no. 1 overall three years ago, Russell finally started to show some improvement and promise at the end of the 2008 season. In 2009, he regressed to the point that capturing Ryan Leaf's "Biggest Draft Bust of All Time" title seems inevitable. Bringing in Campbell signifies that they're finally sick of Russell's poor work ethic and lousy quarterbacking. A release seems likely by the end of the week, primarily to avoid the possibility of having to pay him an extra $6.5 million for 2010. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing him stay with the team, but only as #4 on the depth chart, and only for the absolute minimum salary. My stance is that we've already invested tons of time and money in him, so I'd hate to see the Raiders cut him loose only to have him go on and find success with another team. Although right now, the notion of him having a fruitful NFL career no longer seems very likely. If the choice is between paying him a full salary and finally being rid of the burden he's placed on the team, I say cut him loose.
And that's the end of that chapter.
This could actually be an interesting team to watch this season. That'd be nice for a change...
Something I've been chipping away at in the back of my mind off and on for a little while. The Beach Boys are (or were up until about 1977) an outstanding band and an integral part of American pop music history. Here's a list of what I believe to be the best Beach Boys songs out there. Anyone whose knowledge of the Beach Boys is limited to "Surfin USA" and "Barbara Ann" could do themselves good by checking out some of these songs. Or even better, just go out and buy Pet Sounds.
Honorable Mentions:
Solar System (Love You, 1977)
Honkin' Down the Highway (Love You, 1977)
A Day in the Life of a Tree (Surf's Up, 1971)
Aren't You Glad (Wild Honey, 1967)
Good Timin' (L.A. (Light Album), 1979)
50. Whistle In (Smiley Smile, 1967)
49. Here Comes the Night (Wild Honey, 1967)
48. Wake the World (Friends, 1968)
47. I'll Bet He's Nice (Love You, 1977)
46. Long Promised Road (Surf's Up, 1971)
45. Disney Girls (1957) (Surf's Up, 1971)
44. That's Not Me (Pet Sounds, 1966)
43. It's About Time (Sunflower, 1970)
42. Funky Pretty (Holland, 1973)
41. Little Bird (Friends, 1968)
40. You Still Believe In Me (Pet Sounds, 1966)
39. Hang on to Your Ego (Pet Sounds outtake, 1966)
38. The Night Was So Young (Love You, 1977)
37. Feel Flows (Surf's Up, 1971)
36. Let the Wind Blow (Wild Honey, 1967)
35. Airplane (Love You, 1977)
34. Friends (Friends, 1968)
33. All Summer Long (All Summer Long, 1964)
32. Time to Get Alone (20/20, 1969)
31. Forever (Sunflower, 1970)
30. All I Wanna Do (Sunflower, 1970)
29. Let Him Run Wild (Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!), 1965)
28. 'Til I Die (Surf's Up, 1971)
27. Surfer Girl (Surfer Girl, 1963)
26. Little Deuce Coupe (Surfer Girl, 1963)
25. Do It Again (20/20, 1969)
24. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) (Pet Sounds, 1966)
23. Wild Honey (Wild Honey, 1967)
22. Wonderful (Smile outtake, 1967)
21. Can't Wait Too Long (Wild Honey outtake, 1967-68)
20. She Knows Me Too Well (Today!, 1965)
19. Sail On, Sailor (Holland, 1973)
18. This Whole World (Sunflower, 1970)
17. Cabinessence (20/20, 1969)
16. Darlin' (Wild Honey, 1967)
15. I Get Around (All Summer Long, 1964)
14. Heroes and Villains (Smiley Smile, 1967)
13. Please Let Me Wonder (Today!, 1965)
12. The Warmth of the Sun (Shut Down Volume 2, 1964)
11. The Little Girl I Once Knew (single, 1965)
10. Add Some Music to Your Day (Sunflower, 1970)
9. California Girls (Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!), 1965)
8. Help Me Rhonda (Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!), 1965)
7. Caroline, No (Pet Sounds, 1966)
6. Don't Worry Baby (Shut Down Volume 2, 1964)
5. Surf's Up (Surf's Up, 1971)
4. Good Vibrations (single, 1966; Smiley Smile, 1967)
3. In My Room (Surfer Girl, 1963)
2. Wouldn't It Be Nice (Pet Sounds, 1966)
1. God Only Knows (Pet Sounds, 1966)
I've been meaning to write about this game for a while now because I thought it was so fascinating. Rarely do you see a game that features both an odd turn of events and a brilliantly profound ending.
It took place last summer, the night of August 7th, 2009. The Braves were playing against the Dodgers in L.A. Braves pitcher Jair Jurrjens was pitching to Andre Ethier in the bottom of the fifth inning. Rafael Furcal was on first, no outs, score tied 2-2.
Jurrjens threw a full count pitch to Ethier while Furcal attempted to steal second. Ethier took the pitch without swinging, and the home plate umpire raised his arm to signal strike three. Catcher Brian McCann then threw to second just in time for Furcal to get tagged out on the steal attempt. Double play.
But no. The umpire then explained to the teams that what had been believed to be the third strike was actually ball four. Essentially, he changed his mind, since it was a very close call, location-wise, and he did appear to call strike three initially. So instead of bases empty, two outs, it was now runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Naturally, Braves manager Bobby Cox came out to argue the call, for which he was ejected.
The next batter was Manny Ramirez, who struck out. Under the original call, this would've been the end of the inning. Instead, it was only the first out. The next batter, Casey Blake, came up and hit a 3-run home run. I remember watching all of this on TV in utter bewilderment. "Great," I thought. "The Dodgers are up by three now because of a bad call. It sucks to see a team get screwed over like that." I was having flashbacks of the infamous Ed Hochuli call in the 2008 Chargers/Broncos matchup.
Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley continued to pitch well in the sixth inning. Then, randomly, he tweaked a hamstring during an at-bat in the bottom of the sixth, so he had to be taken out of the game. He was replaced by relief pitcher Hong-Chi Kuo, who proceeded to give up two runs in the seventh, bringing the Braves to within one. Then in the ninth, the usually outstanding Jonathan Broxton gave up a run in the ninth to send the game into extra innings. Suddenly, the blown call didn't seem to matter any more. It took a few innings, but things were right back to where they were in the fifth. Ultimately, the Braves scored four runs in the twelfth inning to win the game 9-5.
All in all, it was a really crazy game to follow from the fifth inning non-strikeout to the end. A bizarre call was followed shortly by a bizarre injury. (Nothing serious, luckily. Just something that resulted in a hot pitcher being removed for a guy who promptly gave two-thirds of the team's lead back.) The ill-gotten three-run lead was gone by the ninth inning and the bad call was ultimately rendered meaningless. The Braves won, as they should have.
It really makes you think about the infinite number of parts at work in world and God's role in making everything come together. Not that God would devote His power to something as insignificant as making a team win or lose a game. It's just fascinating to see how things work out sometimes, how the universe seems to have a way of balancing itself out. That's all.
In the interest of satiating my compulsory need to make lists, here are some top tens of the past ten. Years.
Best Albums
1. Is This It - The Strokes
2. Kid A - Radiohead
3. Smile - Brian Wilson
4. Funeral - Arcade Fire
5. Songs for the Deaf - Queens of the Stone Age
6. White Blood Cells - The White Stripes
7. Madvillainy - Madvillain
8. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - The Flaming Lips
9. Picaresque - The Decemberists
10. Return to Cookie Mountain - TV on the Radio
Best Songs
1. Hey Ya! - Outkast
2. Turnin' On the Screw - Queens of the Stone Age
3. Do You Realize?? - The Flaming Lips
4. The Mariner's Revenge Song - The Decemberists
5. Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz
6. I Wanna Make It Wit Chu - Desert Sessions
7. Takeover - Jay-Z
8. A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity to Be Free (Early Version) - Elliott Smith
9. Zero - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
10. Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire
Best Movies
1. There Will Be Blood
2. Children of Men
3. The Dark Knight
4. Inland Empire
5. Knocked Up
6. Shaun of the Dead
7. Paranoid Park
8. I'm Not There
9. Idiocracy
10. Wet Hot American Summer
Best TV Shows
1. Arrested Development
2. Futurama
3. The Shield
4. Lost
5. 24
6. Spaced7. The Office (UK)8. 30 Rock
9. Scrubs
10. South Park
