YOUR Complete Card for the 2005 BGSU Royal Rumble

Yes, folks, the BGSU Rumble will be THIS FRIDAY at 10 p.m. (check your e-mailboxes for location and details, or if you didn't get the e-mail, lemme know and I'll re-send it to you). Unlike previous years, this year we will be having a few undercard bouts before the main event (da Rumble itself, natch), giving us a chance to show off more extensively the fighters that we've all created. And also bragging rights. Lots of bragging rights. Ergo, here is YOUR card for the 2005 BGSU Rumble:

-Superhero Showdown: The Hulk (Chris Poltrone) vs. Colossus (Ryan Halfhill) vs. Starfire (Stephanie Ruehl) vs. The Human Torch (John Serve) vs. Kato (Julio Sepulveda) vs. The Human Seat Check (Matt Hirth)

-King of Pop Culture Match: Jack Burton (Greg Baker) vs. Ash (ditto) vs. Lois Griffin (Lindsey Ruehl) vs. Hesh Hepplewhite (John Serve) vs. Adrian Monk (Matt McGinnis) vs. John "Hannibal" Smith (ditto)

-The Battle of the Bowl (a/k/a the Pond Prison Riot): Michael Jackson (Laura Butera) vs. Sarah (Laura Doe) vs. Don Vito Corleone (Jessica Mitolo) vs. Cotton Candi (Caitlin Skaff)

-Grudge Match: The Minor Miracle (Greg Baker) vs. The Voice of Reason (Ryan Halfhill)

And...the Royal Rumble itself, featuring all the above fighters (except the Miracle, whose appearance in the Grudge Match is a one-shot come out of retirement), as well as...

Agent Rayna (Stephanie Ruehl)
Agent Titus (Ryan Halfhill)
G.I.R. (Lindsey Doe)
The Goon (Kevin Duff)
Ice Princess (Anne Miller)
Justicia (Julio Sepulveda)
Leder Hosen (Dennis Chastang)
Lucius, the Eternal (J. Michael Bestul)
The Magic 8 Ball (Stephanie Ruehl)
Revancha (Andy Kemp)
Shower Boy (Heather and Diane Shannon)
Synch (James Williams)
Varien (Amanda Myers)

Now, if THAT card doesn't scream "must-see," I just don't know what does. Hope to see everyone there on Friday!

Saying everything and nothing

Sometimes you get to an odd place, where you know what you believe and why, but you can understand why others feel differently and can feel sympathy toward their position. This is one of the by-products of having a liberal mindset - I keep a constant effort to know what others feel, and why, and to hear out everyone equally.

All of this is a rather odd way lead to this statement: There's something I want desperately to talk about, but I cannot talk about it.

I will phrase it like this: there is a movie playing right now at my theatre named "Million Dollar Baby." I encourage you all to see it, as soon as you can, as it is an amazingly constructed and beautifully performed piece of cinema, perhaps the best film of the year. And it is not about what you think it's about - no matter what you've heard, from any source. It is, at its core, a story about three very specific characters, a very specific story, and a very difficult choice that each one makes.

It is not fair to anyone who has not seen the movie to even hint at what this story contains. It is also unfair, for those who have learned of the film's story through plot spoilers and controversy, to pass judgment on its "message" until they have seen it with their own eyes.

I feel very strongly that this film will be discussed for years, the implications of its events debated on both sides. And that is a healthy reaction to the movie. What is not healthy is to shut it out, to close one's eyes to it, simply because they may find its events uncomfortable or incompatable with their definition of morality.

I merely ask that viewers of "Million Dollar Baby" consider this before they pass judgment: To condemn the film for its events, sight unseen, is to deny it the redeeming factor of its characters. Consider its story not for what happens, but who it happens to. How the film becomes a tale of both one person's quest for personal freedom and happiness, and for another, how friendship and love can lead them to make the most difficult decision any of us can ever make.

See it and e-mail me, and then we'll talk.

The nominees

Okay, I just woke up and am looking at da nominees for the first time. So, let us discuss...

Best Picture:
"The Aviator"
"Finding Neverland"
"Million Dollar Baby"
"Ray"
"Sideways"

"Ray" is the biggest surprise here. I was sure that Jamie Foxx's performance would get nominated, natch, but not so sure about the picture itself. "Hotel Rwanda" had been picking up a lot of momentum, and there were a few dark horse titles that threatened to sneak on here, but overall, this is a good list of candidates. I haven't seen "Million" yet (hopefully it opens here this Friday), and of the rest, my choice for best would be "The Aviator," but they're all worthy contenders.

Best Director
Martin Scorsese, "The Aviator"
Clint Eastwood, "Million Dollar Baby"
Taylor Hackford, "Ray"
Alexander Payne, "Sideways"
Mike Leigh, "Vera Drake"

The story every year is who got left out - whose picture got nominated, but they didn't. This year it's Marc Forster, shunned for his work on "Finding Neverland," but my gut feeling is that "Neverland" may have been the short stack in the big category, so we really can't blame the directors for not going with the herd. And nominating Mike Leigh's work on "Vera Drake" is exactly the kind of risky move the majority of the Academy won't make, given the film's controversial subject matter (abortion). My gut still says this is (FINALLY) Martin's year, though the bizarrely-forming juggernaut that is "Sideways" might somehow derail him...again...arrgh...

Best Actor
Don Cheadle, "Hotel Rwanda"
Johnny Depp, "Finding Neverland"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Aviator"
Clint Eastwood, "Million Dollar Baby"
Jamie Foxx, "Ray"

No big surprises here, except maybe Eastwood. A few surprise omissions, though - Liam Neeson, who I was sure had it locked up for "Kinsey," and Paul Giamotti for "Sideways." My guess is Foxx has this one all set, though personally I'd go with Leo, whose work in "The Aviator" still impresses me completely.

Best Actress
Annette Bening, "Being Julia"
Catalina Sandino Moreno, "Maria Full of Grace"
Imelda Staunton, "Vera Drake"
Hilary Swank, "Million Dollar Baby"
Kate Winslet, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"

Once again, Jim Carrey gets the shaft, as enough Academy voters saw "Eternal Sunshine" to nominate his (very worthy) co-star, but not him. But hey, at least it got some ink in the big categories. No huge shocks, here, and nominating Moreno is tres cool, since it seemed few may have seen "Maria." Swank probably has this one, though, as Roger pointed out in his column, Staunton may be the dark horse.

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Alda, "The Aviator"
Jamie Foxx, "Collateral"
Morgan Freeman, "Million Dollar Baby"
Thomas Haden Church, "Sideways"
Clive Owen, "Closer"

Go Alan! Go Alan! Being a longtime Alda fan, it's great to see him get a nod, though I'm fairly certain his odds of winning are pretty low. And look at Jamie, joining the extremely limited "nominated twice in one year" club! (No one point out how those twice nominated usually don't win either.) My guess here is that Thomas wins for "Sideways," though - it's a great story, it's a great performance, and if "Sideways" doesn't shock us and win in other categories, the voters will see this as giving the film its due.

Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, "The Aviator"
Laura Linney, "Kinsey"
Virginia Madsen, "Sideways"
Sophie Okonedo, "Hotel Rwanda"
Natalie Portman, "Closer"

Another good list, and "Closer" gets double ink in the big five, so cool. Linney was excellent in "Kinsey," and Madsen may have provided the key performance of "Sideways," but I'm betting Blanchett has this one sewn up, giving a great performance in a great movie, and a terrific emulation of a beloved Hollywood personality, to boot.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, "Before Sunset"
David Magee, "Finding Neverland"
Paul Haggis, "Million Dollar Baby"
Jose Rivera, "The Motorcycle Diaries"
Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, "Sideways"

YES!!!!!! "Before Sunset" gets a nod, I am happy, and congrats to Linklater and his cast, though I'm not sure how it qualifies as "adapted" screenplay. (Maybe because it's a sequel?) No huge shocks the rest of the way (save for finally seeing the name "Motorcycle Diaries" SOMEWHERE on this list), but my guess is "Sideways" takes this one - again, under the "we like the film, just not enough to give it the major props, so here..." rule.

Best Original Screenplay
John Logan, "The Aviator"
Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry and Pierre Bismuth, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"
Brad Bird, "The Incredibles"
Mike Leigh, "Vera Drake"

Hey, more ink for "Eternal Sunshine," awesome. Only four nominees? Huh? But never mind - "Aviator" is your winner here, most likely.

(NOTE: I've quickly taken a look at a second list, and "Hotel Rwanda" is the fifth nominee. Apparently the first list I looked at made the mistake.)

Best Animated Feature
"The Incredibles"
"Shark Tale"
"Shrek 2"

The Academy is frigging nuts. (Well, you knew I had to get indignant somewhere.) The half-hearted and lifeless kiddie flick "Shark Tale" gets the nod, instead of "The Polar Express?" Did we just decide it was completely Martin's year and even nominated the animated flick he was in? Really, really bad. If there's any justice, "The Incredibles" has this one locked, sewn, and tied up with a bow.

Best Documentary
"Born Into Brothels"
"The Story of the Weeping Camel"
"Super Size Me"
"Tupac: Resurrection"
"Twist of Faith"

No "Fahrenheit," but we knew that one already because Michael didn't submit it for consideration. Save a big surprise among the three I haven't heard of, I'd guess "Super Size Me" takes this one.

(Skipping over most of the technical categories, BTW, as let's be honest, most of us don't care that much.)

Best Score
"Finding Neverland"
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"
"Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events"
"The Passion of the Christ"
"The Village"

I think that's the first nod for a Harry Potter movie, like, ever. Rather weak set of nominees, here, actually. I can't say as the "Lemony" or "Village" scores had any impact on me, and as far as "The Passion," who could hear the music over all the screaming? Total guess, but "Finding Neverland."

Best Original Song
"Accidentally In Love" from "Shrek 2"
"Al Otro Lado Del Rio" from "The Motorcycle Diaries"
"Believe" from "The Polar Express"
"Learn To Be Lonely" from "The Phantom of the Opera"
"Look To Your Path (Vois Sur Ton Chemin)" from "The Chorus (Les Choristes)"

Okay, I have NEVER heard of "The Chorus, " so who knows. "Learn to Be Lonely" is Webber's transparent attempt to get an Oscar by writing a gratuitous song for the movie, and apparently it worked. Of the rest, I personally dug "Believe" from "Polar Express," but it wouldn't shock me to see them give it to Webber.

Visual Effects
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"
"I, Robot"
"Spider-Man 2"

No "Aviator" here surprises me, but nice to see Spidey get on there somewhere...

Well, not bad, all things considered. If the goal of the Oscars is to act as advanced advertising for the business, at the very least this year, for the most part, they're steering folks to some very good work. We'll see how it goes...

A note from our friends at Adult Swim

"We're sure that The Tonight Show will be running plenty of Carson tributes this evening.
"But The Tonight Show hasn't been The Tonight Show since Johnny retired.
"The REAL Tonight Show is The Late Show.
"Hosted by a guy named David Letterman.
"[The views and ideas expressed in this bump completely reflect those of [Adult Swim]...and you, the viewer.]"

Amen to that.

A fitting tribute

Roger Ebert has already posted a lovely remembrance of Johnny here.

I particularly loved the bit about their first appearance on the show. Very funny and touching.

Johnny

Heather just called with the news that Johnny Carson passed away this morning.

Beyond being a pioneer of television, the most consistently entertaining host in the history of the medium, and the very definition of a class act, he was a personal hero to me - even though I was born nearly 15 years after he had begun his reign on the air. No entertainer in my early years had more of an long-standing impact on me than Carson did - his wit, his never-ending enthusiasm for his job, his comedic timing, and above all, his grace in his handling of everything that came his way. You never heard a negative word about Johnny, or a messy scandal to be dealt with stemming from the show - he was the epitomy of class and dignity on the air, while still maintaining a glint of mischief in his eye. I don't know of a single person who didn't, at some level, love and respect Johnny and his work. And when it was time to end it all, he bowed out so beautifully, leaving us all with an amazing and touching coda topping off nearly three decades of memories.

Television has just lost perhaps its single greatest performer, ever.

More to come, I'm sure.

It finally happened...

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've awaited for years has arrived, and we may celebrate the coming of the end of the world - someone has called me an @$$hole, and they meant it.

Last night at work, a woman and her boyfriend came in with a group of friends to see a flick in one of the Director's Halls. Now, the Director's Halls have reserved seating, which means you chose your seats in advance and sit where you are assigned. We are very strict about this. Saves us a LOT of trouble trying to move folks around when they come in late and find that some guy has decided to move into the seats they bought. Therefore, if folks in a group want to sit together, they have to buy seats in a row.

Apparently, this did not occur to this woman, who had seats for row K, and the rest of her friends had row D, all the way down front. She asked if she could sit down there anyway. I said no, if people came in with those seats they would have priority and she would have to move. If she wanted row D, she'd have to go back to the Customer Service desk and exchange them. She asked again, could she sit in D? I said no, and explained again why. She got testy, because the theatre wasn't that full. I explained, yet again, that she had to sit in the seats she chose - it was policy (and it was also common sense, I think). Without even saying a word, then, she starts walking away from me, up the stairs and to row K. I seat her friends, and then I see her and her boyfriend, coming down the stairs, walking out the door, and heading, presumably, the the desk to exchange their seats.

Later on, I find out that this same customer, in getting new tickets, made sure to tell a manager about what happened, saying that I was "being an @$$hole" about it. Nice. I never raised my voice, tried my best to be patient with her, and explain why the policy was the way it was, as well as a way to rectify the situation. I didn't get in trouble or anything - my manager knows me and respects my work, so she knows that I wouldn't get snippy with folks - but it still bugged me.

One bit of silver lining - right after that woman left, a group of 8 in a family arrived to see the same movie - taking up almost all the space in row D, RIGHT WHERE SHE WANTED TO SIT, and thus proving my point. Ah, irony can be so ironic sometimes.

(P.S. - Congratulations to the lovely and talented Abby for being my 300th visitor. For that, you recieve a grand prize, which consists of...um...this congratulations.)

Okay, I'll try this...

I got suckered into leaving an answer to this on Heather's blog, so I'll take a shot and post it here...and, hey, I'm curious as to what I'll get...

if you read this,
you must post a memory of me.
it can be anything you want,
it can be good or bad,
just so long as it happened.
then post this to your journal.
see what people remember about you....

"...the near/mere appearance of evil..."

I wasn't gonna watch any of the inauguration today, but work made it unavoidable by putting it on the TV in the lobby. So as I was walking back and forth, catching bits and pieces of the proceedings, a bit of the post-address bendiction caught my ear - uttered, according to the schedule, by Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, of Houston, TX. I ask you to, please, consider the logic of the following quote, maybe re-reading it a few times before you continue.

"'Deliver us from the evil one and the near appearance of evil,' he said. 'Give us clean hearts, clean agendas, clean priorities and programs and even clean financial statements.' "

I wish I could submit to you folks a complete transcript of this prayer, but no one online seems to have it anywhere. The closest I could find was this news story from the Worldwide Faith News archives, which only offers snippets, such as the one above. All I know is, that ain't what I remember him saying...I remember the phrase being "the mere appearance of evil," not the NEAR appearance of same.

Either way, that quote bugged me. Take the first part. So, okay, now even something that APPEARS evil is to be stamped out and eliminated at all costs? Seems to be setting a dangerous precident for the coming term - maybe W's claim that this is a "crusade" wasn't so far off, after all.

And that second part. Let's deconstruct that, shall we? "Give us clean hearts." Hard to be clean with 1,300+ U.S. Military and 14,000 (at the most conservative of estimates) civilian casualties during the war.

"Clean agendas." "Remember, this is the guy that tried to hurt my dad at one time." - W, in a speech pre-war, 2003.

"Clean priorities and programs." Privatization of Social Security yet no national health care. Opposition to stem cell research. Giving a $136 billion dollar tax cut to businesses at a time of war. Good to see those priorities straight.

"And even clean financial statements." WTF?

A few of the articles I've found cite Caldwell as a "spiritual advisor" to Bush. Um, folks? I think we're beginning to see the rhyme to his reason...

It's hard to take a good picture of yourself...

So, today's project was to beef up my lagging efforts as a member of the Friendster website, as part of my ongoing project to broaden my circle of friends (and, who knows, come across someone who might wanna become something more than that...but such is the unspoken hopeful prologue). Part of this includes posting a long-overdue photo. Admission time: I hate being photographed. The fact that I'm a big fat guy has pretty much everything to do with it - I just never, ever like the way I look, and won't until I get serious about the diet (which I haven't been - witness the lack of updating on the 3D). As such, I have pretty much no photos of myself.

But, if I'm gonna make any headway on Friendster, I need a photo. So, I did what any true lazy geek would do - took my family's digital camera and turned it around, clicking the shutter button pretty much blind while striking a thoughtful-yet-silly pose. A few clicks and I had a not-too-bad photo (one which maximizes my devilishly-handsome features, while minimizing my outstandingly-un-handsome double chin), which I then cropped and uploaded to the site.

How does it look? Well, to know that you're gonna just visit the site, now won't you? And if you're not a member, I'd be happy to invite you...the more friends I have, the more connections I make, natch! :)

"Roger the Jets' touchdown."

So, at the theatre now we have these new plasma screen TVs. A few over the box office counters, showing trailers for upcoming movies, a few in the bar, and one in a TV lounge in the lobby. Well, the one in the lounge typically is tuned to "safe bet" channels less likely to be running anything offensive - Home and Garden, CNN, or more usually, ESPN. (On some odd days they'll have it tuned to CBS or ABC, running an entire afternoon's worth of soap operas in the process.)

Well, tonight the TV was tuned to the NFL Playoffs, and one of the most bizarrely funny moments I can recall happened. As the Jets/Steelers game was on, a crowd of people naturally gravitated to the TV lounge, turning our lobby into an impromptu sports bar. So, as all these folks are watching the game and so forth, naturally, those of us employees who are kind of wandering around, not tied to any specific location, find reasons to wander by the lounge and check on the score.

So, as I'm doing my wandering in that general area, one of the cops who's working security for us (as they often do on the weekends) is standing by the lounge, watching the game. And as I'm watching, the Jets return a punt for a touchdown. Then, this officer pulls out his radio and says, in a cop's usual uninflected and strictly-business tone, "Jets just scored a touchdown, repeat, Jets just scored a touchdown."

One of his fellow officers, again speaking as though he had no enthusiasm whatsoever for the occurence, responds, "Roger the Jets' touchdown."

And then, over the radio, a third voice, AGAIN in cop-flat-talk, says, "J. E. T. S. Jets. Jets. Jets."

I mean, I was giggling so hard, I had to walk away. Here were three guys who were very clearly interested in the game - interested enough to update each other on its events - and yet, whether it be through professional decorum or radio protocol, responded vocally to the events with all the raw emotion of Al Gore on sedatives. It was just too funny.

Well, maybe you just had to be there. Then again, I was pretty exhausted after two nights of running up and down stairs and trying to address hundreds of people on a regular basis. Maybe I was just punch-drunk and it wasn't funny at all. I dunno. What do you think?

Playing catch-up with 24...

After taping all four hours of this Sunday/Monday's 24 multi-episode marathon beginning to the new season, I finally got a chance to sit down and watch it all tonight, thanks to finally having a reasonably free evening, and with judicious use of the FF button on my VCR (not just during commercials, but during any sub-plots which are pretty obviously going nowhere). Here are a few quick thoughts so far (note, anyone who doesn't want to know anything, please skip all of the following):

-The show's "new direction" seems rather like its old (i.e. first season) direction, with Jack being the lone rogue agent trying to save someone he cares about from terrorists, while operating outside the authority of the government. But that's cool, since the character works best as a lone wolf, and Kiefer can definitely carry it off.

-For a show that I have been very impressed with in the past for its efforts to resist stereotypical characterizations of ethnic villains, this season's rogues gallery seems almost exclusively Arabic. At least, so far. With 24, we'll probably find out down the road that what we think we know ain't what we think we know and the real bad guys are someone else entirely. But for now, this is the first season where I'm kind of uncomfortable with the villains, simply because of their uniform ethnicity.

-The show has really lost something with the absence of David Palmer as president. The new prez (the guy who was trying to blackmail Dave last season) just ain't cutting it with me, and he's not sympathetic at all. In fact, the FF button was being used a lot during his scenes.

-One more gripe and I'll get to good stuff, I promise, but I feel that the show's political slant has taken a turn toward the right wing. A lot of story elements are just plain bugging me - the stereotypical villains, the implications of its main kidnapping plot, the Sec's peace-protesting son being portrayed as an arrogant and naive fool. Elements like these read like thinly veiled parables, and political commentary is NOT why I watch 24 - I watch it because it's damn entertaining television, incredibly well produced, exciting, fun, surprising. It has dealt with issues that have had very serious implications in the past, especially in this post 9/11 era, but thus far has dealt with them in such a way that any political ramifications therein were nicely defused and the show's overall value as escapist entertainment for people of any viewpoint was kept nicely intact. This is the first year I've felt that values were being brought into the equasion, as well, and that's distracting me from what I love about this show. Now, all this could change, and quickly - that's what makes 24 such compelling television - but for now, I'm keeping an eye out.

-Now, the good stuff. This remains the best produced show on television. At no time does it feel like we're watching just a TV show with budgetary limitations - as with previous seasons, it feels more like a flat-out action film, only the biggest and longest action film you've ever seen. The opening train crash was scarily convincing, and as always the show's fast pace and matter-of-fact yet convincing performances keep you involved.

-Kiefer Sutherland continues to be the rock this whole enterprise stands on. Most of the rest of the cast are gone (only Chloe and the new prez are carry-overs from last season - so far), so the audience would be mighty disoriented, and potentially disinterested, if Jack Bauer wasn't there. But his character has been so well established, and Sutherland's work in the role so dead-on, that the show can get away with such a complete turn-over, simply because we care so much about Jack. Kiefer's performance is so central, yet so straight-forward, that he often doesn't get the credit he deserves as its emotional center.

-Who (if anyone) will show up this season? The sudden absence of everyone else leaves plenty of doors open for surprising returns...except, of course, by the deceased. That's another thing in 24's episodic storytelling that deserves praise - so far, not a single character has "raised from the dead." When we see someone killed, they're killed. Period. This gives the show a more realistic feel, I think, than most other shows, since we know that it's the one card that this show plays that is, indeed, final.

-The rapid-fire nature of this season means we're already 1/6th of the way done, with new episodes every week until the finish. With all the starts and stops last season, I easily got distracted and had to play catch-up way later on. Maybe this time I'll stick with it till the end.

Well, so far, so okay. Here's hoping it gets better, though. But, as always, I'll try to be there every step of the way...

Wow, that's a first...

We're sitting at about a month away from the BGSU Rumble, and for the first time I can remember, we won't be scrambling for participants at the last minute - we already have a a full boat of 30 as we speak! And the cool thing is, of all the people who have entered characters, only 6 have more than one, which means that we have a LOT of different folks entered - 22, to be exact! Tres cool! I can only hope this translates to a full house when we run the Rumble on February 4th, wherever that full house may be! (We are still in heavy negotiations for location, please stand by.)

Meantime, mega, huge, colossal thanks to the following folks for being so cool and entering their characters so early this year...

Amanda
Andy
Anne
Caitlin
Chris
Dennis
Greg
Heather & Diane
J.
James
Jessica
John
Julio
Kevin
Laura B.
Laura D.
Lindsey D.
Lindsey R.
Matt
Ryan
Stephanie
and...me!

Now, you ask, since the Rumble roster is full, any chance I could still get in? Answer: no! Well, maybe. You could nicely ask me, and I could nicely ask one of the folks who have multiple characters if they would like to withdraw so you can get in. Or, if you're REALLY nice, I could withdraw myself (I don't like competing, usually, since I really don't like the idea of me winning my own event - but the character I came up with is SOOOO cool...if someone else wants him, I'd be happy to give him to ya...just ask!). So, in other words, if you ask nicely, you maybe could still get in.

Meantime, thanks again, everyone, for entering, and hope to see you all there on the 4th!

Do-Your-Own-Casting

A weird thought experiment to end a weird day - me and my brother were watching some episodes of the A-Team on DVD tonight, and we got into a discussion of the inevitable movie which will come. (I mean, come on, Dukes of Hazzard and Bewitched are on their way, this is a given.) We agreed on one piece of casting without hesitation - Jim Carrey IS Murdock, no doubt. But the rest we're kinda hazy on.

-Matt argues for Anthony Hopkins for Hannibal, but I think that's more for irony purposes than anything else. I'm drawing a blank.

-For Face, Matt leans toward Ewan McGregor, but I'm seeing him as a bit more of a handsome actor with a little more of a sense of humor about his looks - Ben Affleck, perhaps.

-We're both completely stumped on B.A. Matt suggests a big TNA wrestler named Monty Brown, but we have no acting experience from which to draw on. I was thinking Michael Clarke Duncan, but he might be TOO big for the role.

So, any ideas, my friends with 80's memories to draw from?

This is your chance...

For those of you who ever wanted, for some crazy reason, to hear me sing in public, this is your chance: I've come up with a musical parody which I am singing during my introductions to Phantom of the Opera in the Director's Hall. So, if you wanna see it, you'll just have to see Phantom during the week sometime. I'm working Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, from 12-6 all days. Now, I don't honestly expect anyone to show up, but if anyone does want to see it, please gimme a shout, I'll be happy to try and swing you passes.

Come and see me butcher Andrew Lloyd Webber! :)

The storm, part two...

I spent the last two days alone in a hotel room with an older woman.

Well, okay. It wasn't quite a hotel room. It was a motel room. Days Inn.

And, okay, the older woman was my mom.

For some reason, it just sounded much cooler the way I wrote it in the first sentence.

Well, thanks to the second lovely winter storm of the season, my mother and I decided to take refuge at the Inn just down the street from the theatre. End result, two nights alone with my mom, whose idea of good sleep programming is "Cold Case Files" and other such true crime stuff from A&E. Add in that I really didn't find the Days Inn beds all that comfortable, either. And that my mom likes waking up REALLY early, especially considering we were both a five-minute (if that) drive from our jobs. Means that, last night at least, I really didn't sleep well. Like, 3-hours-max, not sleeping well. And work can be mighty draining when a man ain't been sleeping. But I got through it, and now I'm alive and have my own bed again.

Meantime, I'm stir crazy from the past few days and just wanna see my friends again. I work tomorrow, but I have Saturday and Sunday off, and really wanna make it to BG to see folks, and...DA-DA-DAAAAA...get entrants for the BGSU Royal Rumble! We still got plenty of spots open, so if you want in, see me on Saturday afternoon/evening, at either the Fish Bowl or Greg's place (whoever's home, basically), and we'll get ya done! Or, if you can't make it, send the below form to me! Whatever! :)

BGSU Rumble 2K5 Entry Form:

NAME (YOUR name, I mean):

CHARACTER NAME:

APPEARANCE (What your character looks like, natch):

OUTFIT (What your character wears):

MOVES (He/she a high flyer? Technical wrestler? Submission master? Powerful? What type of offense does he/she have? If you know wrestling, what wrestler's moves does your character have?):

FINISHING MOVE (How does your character end the match?):

MUSIC (Type of song that plays while you enter):

ENTRANCE (What type of entrance into the arena do you see?):

In praise of my friends...

A few thank yous to be spread around, to many of my dearest peeps, and their effect on my life in 2004:

-To Abby, thank you again, as always, for being there when I most needed a friend.

-To Amanda, thank you for giving me a good excuse for a couple of day-long road trips.

-To Jeanine, thank you for trusting me to be an ear for you.

-To Andy, thank you for once again becoming a cool long-distance friend.

-To Diane, thank you for being the only person in my life who still watches wrestling with me.

-To Heather W., thank you for being my most frequent moviegoing companion!

-To the residents of the Pond (Jess, Caitlin, Laura and Laura), thank you for always making me feel welcome and wanted.

-To Greg, thank you for always being so completely you.

-To Steph, thank you for always being a stable influence on all of us.

-To Melissa, thank you for always being willing to take a late-night phone call.

-To Kevin, thank you for making it home safe.

-To Matt H., thank you for being a super-cool friend and great conversationalist.

-To Jennifer, thank you for being the one true friend I've made at work.

-To Anne, thank you for staying in touch, despite the newly-aquired distance.

-To Chris and James, thank you for providing the great joy of announcing your new arrivals! Congrats again!

-To Mandy, thanks for some cool conversation at the Pond, and for giving me a chance to teach SOMEONE Texas Hold 'Em.

-To Julio, thank you for your unending passion for life.

-And to Heather, thank you for still being my best friend.

I love all y'all tons. Hugs for everyone, and if I missed ya, I love you, too, I promise!

-Jeff

Happy new year and other stuff...

-First off, a very happy new year to everybody and hope that 2K5 treats you wonderfully well. Personally, I look back on 2K4 and for the first time in a while, I find few true complaints. I think the year went well, for the most part. Yes, I'm still here, living with my folks, no, I didn't get the new job I wanted, yes, I'm still single and see no chance of that changing soon. But I didn't do anything that I really, solidly regret, I worked hard to address my emotional difficulties and have come out at the end of this year feeling a lot better about me than I did when I started. Truly, when 2004 began, I had reached a point where I didn't really care about anything, including, to a point, whether I continued living. I'm not saying I was suicidal, it was just...I didn't care. So many things in my life had reached a point where I felt they were so completely out of my control that it didn't make sense to invest myself in the process, emotionally. But that has changed. As the year progressed, as I resolved issues with myself and others, as I tried to figure out what I wanted, I've got a better handle on who I am than I have for a long, long time. I hope that 2005 is a year where I really start to work at making things happen, at taking control, at being the best me I can. Wish me luck.

-Insurance problems are killing me. Mom tells me that the cost of my heath insurance is increasing by nearly 2 and a half times, so that I'm paying nearly 800 bucks for 6 months of coverage. In one lump sum, mind you. Hoping to get this straightened out, because I quite simply don't have that kind of money.

-Haven't contributed to disaster relief efforts yet, sad to say, since this week's paycheck was a little lower than expected. But next week will be huge, with nearly 45 hours of work from this week, so I'll definitely be giving then.

-How much did I like "Beyond the Sea?" I even went out and picked up the soundtrack, which is all Spacey singing Darin's songs. Cool stuff.

-The official date of the BGSU Royal Rumble: February 4th, 2005. More details as they become available. Plenty of slots still open!