Worst pitch meeting EVER!

Saw this on Kung Fu Monkey. So freaking funny... had to share:

Hilarious Bud Light commerical

I heard that this wasn't allowed to air due to its content, but I don't know if that's accurate or not:

Recent History: Photographs by Luc Delahaye

From July 31 to Novemeber 25, the Getty Center in Los Angeles is has an exhibit called "Recent History: Photographs by Luc Delahaye." I went today and I cannot recommend it more. There are only maybe 10 photographs on display, but don't let that keep you from going. Remember, the Getty is free aside from parking (which is currently $8 per car).

Delahaye's photographs are astounding to look at when on display. I didn't even want to put one of his photos in this post because I don't think any gif or jpeg will do them justice (although the Getty site linked above does have images). Not only does Delahaye capture unique and painfully real images, but the prints are then blown up to what the museum describes as "near life-size." Each print is several FEET long and high. I felt like I could almost step into the scene.

The rest of this will really only make sense if you've been to the exhibit or (gasp!) looked at the photos online:

I truly liked every single one on display. My favorite was the one called "Aftermath in Meulaboh" depicting a single man standing in a field of rubble in the wake of the 2004 Tsunami. According to the exhibit brochure, Meulaboh lost 1/3 of it's population. The sadness of the scene is intense and immediately affecting.

"A Mass Grave near Snagovo, Bosnia" made me feel like I was dead inside. As the exhibit notes, the scene feels almost clinical and academic, when in fact these four people are kneeling in death. I felt like I should've had more of a reaction at first sight... but that's the point of the photograph, isn't it?

I've been thinking about every one of the photographs ever since I saw them today. I may even go back to see them again in a few weeks.

UPDATE: The following quote was up on the wall in the first room of the exhibit mixed in with other info on Delahaye and his work. I found it to be indicative of not only the photographs, but also in an overall sense, of how the photos impacted me:

"There is something rather beautiful about the practice of photography: it allows the self to be reunited with the world." --excerpted from "Luc Delahaye: Snap Decision," interview by Philippe Dagen, Art Press no. 306.

my Fall 2007 TV (read Tivo) line-up

Thanks to the Fall TV Preview issue of Entertainment Weekly (EW), I've been able to piece together what I'll be watching this fall. And by the way, I list cable programs without a time because they tend to rerun often, so I let the networks take priority and watch/record the reruns a couple hours later. Alright, here we go:

Sunday:
8:00 Simpsons (Fox)
9:00 Family Guy (Fox)
cable: Battlestar Galactica (SciFi, when it returns)

Monday:
8:00 Chuck (NBC)
9:00 Heroes (NBC)
10:00 Journeyman (NBC)
(If Chuck sucks, I'm quickly switching to Aliens in America, 8:30 on The CW, which EW says is excellent. And, I don't think Journeyman will last long, but I like Kevin McKidd from Rome and more importantly Dog Soldiers.)

Tuesday:
8:00 Bones (Fox)
9:00 Reaper (CW)
cable: Eureka (SciFi)

Wednesday:
8:00 Pushing Daisies (ABC)
9:00 Bionic Woman (NBC)
10:00 Dirty Sexy Money (ABC)
(I'm only checking out Dirty Sexy Money because I think it'll be like Falcon's Crest, and who doesn't miss Falcon's Crest? I should tell you that I have no basis for this assumption)

Thursday:
8:00 My Name is Earl (NBC)
8:30 30 Rock (NBC)
9:00 The Office (NBC)
9:30 Scrubs (NBC)
cable: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX), Burn Notice (USA)

Friday:
9:00 Friday Night Lights (NBC)
cable: Stargate Atlantis, Doctor Who (SciFi)
(I'd check out Moonlight (CBS) and Women's Murder Club (ABC) too, but they conflict with FNL. No, I don't have a dual-tuner Tivo!)

Saturday:
11:30 Saturday Night Live! (NBC)

That's it (I think). Go ahead, copy me. It's ok. I don't mind.

3:10 to Yuma

Quick review: 3:10 to Yuma, I'm talking about the new one, is awesome! A great western that flawlessly mixes action with drama. The gun fights were imaginitive and fresh... not the same old High Noon fare (not that High Noon isn't a good film too). Russell Crowe was absolutely incredible. A let's not forget Christian Bale! Ben Foster was mighty good too. It's just a good good good movie. Go see it.

Bridge to Terabithia

I've had the book sitting on my shelf for months and haven't read it yet, but someone did just give me the DVD of the most recent movie version of the book.

I liked it. Worth watching. Not what I thought it was going to be, but that turned out to be a good thing. Disney's marketing department really went off in the wrong direction on this one. From the trailers, they made it seem like a new Narnia, ie. a fantasy epic involving kids and a mythical army of animal soldiers fighting some dark force. This immediately seemed off because Terabithia, like Narnia, was made by Walden Media and Disney. Why, with the first Narnia film still in recent memory, would you market your film to look like a wannabe Narnia?

Whatever. Forget all that. Bridge to Terabithia isn't about another fantasy realm that exists just outside of memory. It's about friendship, responsibility, and the power of imagination, all set in the real world. Remember that going in and you won't be mislead or disappointed.

The only problem I had with the film was the soundtrack. The Miley Cyrus, Hayden Panetierre, etc. tracks were out of place. Seems like Disney was trying a little too hard to promote their up-and-coming music stars. One scene in particular suffers from the poor choice of songs... it's the one where the kids are setting up their tree... you'll understand when you see it. The scene could've been much better with a different song. Never underestimate the power of the sound in a movie, be it music, effects, etc. That said, the inclusion of Steve Earle's Someday was a nice touch and perfectly emulated the tone of the scene and the movie as a whole.

I'm curious now to read the book to see how it differs from the film. Good thing I already own it, eh?

(formerly known as the) E.B.S.

This has never happened to me before. When I was driving today, listening to the radio, the Emergency Broadcasting System activated... and it was NOT a test. It freaked me out for a sec, especially since the buzzer went off, the beeps sounded, and nobody said anything for almost a minute. Then a voice came on saying that there had been several tornadoes spotted in Kern County, CA, and that people should seek the appropriate shelter. I was about 150 miles west of there at the time, so I was good (whew!)

But I couldn't believe the EBS went off while I was listening to the radio! Weird... and kinda cool at the same time.

UPDATE: According to a Google search, it's now called the Emergency ALERT System.