Monday, March 26, 2007

Swingin' Ian.


Swingin' Ian.
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.
A couple weeks ago we took Ian to the park down the street from his grandparents house. It's a pretty large facility with lots of swings and fun contraptions for kids to play in. Ian got to enjoy his first ride on a swing and he loved it! Thankfully, there was a cool breeze that kept him smiling and laughing all the way through.

Initial instinct was to get him moving pretty quickly. His favorite part was coming back to me after being pushed away. That short adrenaline rush really put the giggle in his stride. I swear no one laughs as great as this guy.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Film or TV.

It's funny, in high school and in college, I watched a lot of television; but it was at the movie theater that I had the most fun. Those unique stories were a lot more entertaining than the weekly sitcom; Seinfeld, notwithstanding. And here I am, a working man, father, with only a few hours at night spent at home and less time available for the movie theater on weekends; and I'm paying more attention to television than before. Not that I religiously watch it all the time, but that I'm aware of the big shows and the new shows coming on.

Tonight I noticed 2 very interesting things: 1. "Andy Barker, P.I." was created & produced by Conan O'Brien, obviously for Andy Richter. And there are signs of Conan's comedy all over the place, especially the ending (which was really the best part of the show). 2. "Raines" was created & written by Graham Yost, and the pilot was directed by Frank Darabont.

Very interesting, and not once was any of this information used in the marketing & publicity of these shows. Conan O'Brien is a late-night talk show host who used to write for SNL. He's got the comedic talent and knows his former cohort, Richter, very well. That's a great combo. "Raines" from the writer of "Speed" and the director of "The Shawshank Redemption." Yost won an emmy for writing on "Band of Brothers" and Darabont directed an Academy Award Nominated film. These are high credentials. Although, Darabont hasn't directed a feature film in a very long time....now that I think about it, Jeff Goldblum hasn't really been in the public eye in a very long time as well.

So, it seems like I'm not the only one slowly moving from film to television. Did I mention I lost our company Oscar pool? I bet I'll win this year's Emmy's.

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Stealing Shyamalan.

Looks like NBC is at it again. First they took his basis from "Unbreakable" and created a mythical tale of everyday people discovering their otherworldly abilities in "Heroes." Now they're turning his Academy Award nominated story of seeing dead people from "The Sixth Sense" into a detective off-beat dramedy with Jeff Goldblum called "Raines." The funny thing is, I know I'm gonna love it.

Last summer I wrote a pre-emptive post on "Heroes" and believed I wasn't going to enjoy it. I couldn't have been more wrong. Again, NBC has got me, and I get the feeling I won't be the only one. With great wit, double-take filmmaking, and Jeff Goldblum in a revitalizing lead role with some great comic timing, it's Monk meets The Office. Even the catchy, big band tune that scores the previews sparks my attention. It's also good to see Madeline Stowe back on the scene. She hasn't made an impact since "The Last of the Mohicans."

Catch it next Wednesday. It Should be great.