fripodding and watching: the watchmen experience-reviews and stuff

I wouldn't dare miss the opportunity to job on the ol' Watchmen band wagon the day of it's premiere. And yes, I was there at the midnight showing after there was some brief doubt I'd make it there at all. (My local favorite theaters apparently weren't having midnight showings like they usually do.)

Regardless, I was there and made it in good time with pretty decent seats. Close to the back and next to the stairs (ya know, in case of emergency and/or if needed, I could be one of the first few to make it to the exit and out safely). I did smell a few illegal substances around me. And when I mean illegal, I mean that it's not allowed in the theater. Like alcohol. And weed-which isn't really legal outside of the theater either but that's another story.

But let's talk about the move. First the book, and you guys know I read it a few months ago and more or less became a fanboy in the span of the 3-4 nights it took me to read it. I still would recommend people who love storytelling in general, to check this one out. Let me make this clear: this is not a story for children. You can let them read it if you want to, but that's your parental discretion. I know when I was wee, I wouldn't have been interested or ready to see/read/understand such things. Granted, I was just born and in my ultra-wee stages when the comics were being published, but still. And there are only 12 comics, grouped together to make one graphic novel. It might take you less time to read it than me, or more... who knows. I was on vacation at the time, so that gave me an opportunity to take my time and really get into the characters and story being told.

But these days in this fast paced world, we need everything here and now. And everyone is looking for audio books and whatnot, but iTunes came out with Watchmen animated comics! This is today's friPod iPick that iSaac greatly enjoys having in his memory drive. I also couldn't wait to get each chapter downloaded every other week to re-enjoy this story. Sure, you gotta give up some money (I want to say $20 altogether) but I think it's worth it if you don't think you can find time to read it. And it's worth it if you're a fan. I still recommend reading it. But at least this way, you know when you'll be done because each chapter is about 30 minutes long.

You won't find Alan Moore's name anywhere except the actual graphic novel itself, and there's a whole story on that I won't get into right now. Nor will you find his name in the movie's credits (at least I don't think it's anywhere in there... I didn't stay until the very end like I normally do). But what I loved about the movie is how faithful, how accurate, how detailed it was compared to the comic. Sure some things were changed here and there and you might not notice (except for the climatic ending), but the messages still rang true. I honestly prefer the comic's ending and would've loved to see that on the screen. Read it... hint hint. Nevertheless, while I struggle to find words to describe how I enjoyed the movie... I'd recommend comic fans, movie fans, violence fans to go enjoy. Not everyone because it's definitely not a movie everyone would love. The hype was deserved, very much like The Dark Knight. Is it better? Hard to say. For me, anyway. It's more violent but somewhat less action. Don't go in expecting lots of explosions and chaos. Again, this is why I suggest reading it first so you know what you're getting into.

I know there are some out there that will appreciate it without reading anything. And that's fine. It's definitely a "guy movie." If you enjoy Znyder's 300, then you'd get a kick out of blood and violence here. There's also a sex scene... so... there's that. Hey, it's in the comic too and it was very well done. Oh, and the movie's time? I didn't notice it sometimes. Yeah it was long, but if you're engrossed in the story, you almost forget.

Lastly, I want to mention the soundtrack. I think I'll get this one. The songs featured in the movie (I don't know about all of them) are references to the comic. At the end of each chapter is a line or a phrase, sometimes from a song, sometimes from somebody famous. So if you watch this movie and wonder what's up with the soundtrack, that's part of your answer. The sex scene I mentioned before had an odd choice of music, I thought anyway. It made it a bit humorous. Which brings up why I love midnight premieres: that full audience gives you a real feel of how others are viewing this movie. You might hear someone else chuckle, and you start to laugh too realizing the humor of it. Or, you hear the whole crowd go "ew!" when someone breaks a leg (and that happened). It's an awesome experience and that's why I go.

***THIS JUST IN***
http://www.theworldofwatchmen.com/
You can get the animated graphic novel on DVD now. I forgot that was happening. More than likely, I'll be back to revisit more Watchmen related things. It might just be my movie of the year. I think.

fripodding and succeeding: bobby womack - across 110th street

As I stated earlier this week, I've been rather busy attempting to get back on top of my numbers at work. Ya know, my "A Game." Last week was my D game. This week might've been a B+ game. Even though I had several meetings I could write off to subtract from my numberly goal, I still wanted to surpass my own expectations. But hey, I did what I had to do.

But enough about that. Let's get on to today's iPick for the friPod.

Once again I thought I'd pick something relevant to Black History month... but again I lied. It's not that I couldn't pick such a song, but usually it's what iSaac and I are feeling at the moment when the pick is chosen. Today, we picked Bobby Womack's Across 110th Street.

Thanks to Quentin Tarantino, my ears have been opened to this gritty, real-life account to the hardships of the ghetto. Not that I haven't heard songs like that before (specifically from the 70's) because I can name a few artists that would tell you like it is: Stevie Wonder, James Brown and Curtis Mayfield to name a few. But it's just something about this song. Maybe it's how he chant "Across 110th street" as the instruments flare up. I think it's the instruments that have a lot to do with it, really. But I also just like the lyrics as well.

And movie buffs may have heard this song in other movies too. I was just informed this song is also featured on such a movie called Across 110th Street. Imagine that. Actually the song, and several others, was sung by Womack himself. That's how Black cinema was done back then. Again, check Curtis Mayfield and Super Fly. Another movie this song is featured in is American Gangster. But there's another song from that movie I liked a lot I'll save for another day. But let's take a look at the scene from QT's Jackie Brown that sent me to iTunes in the first place.



The scene itself isn't all that thrilling, but it's nicely done. Tarantino has a thing for long one shots. He also likes to pay homages to heroes, like blaxploitation movies, such as this one and using that era's sex symbol Pam Grier. The movie itself was pretty good. Classic Tarantino, even though it's not truly his since he didn't write it. But I'll forgive him. But extra kudos to him for picking this song to start the movie. It's also a great song to drive to... or wait in traffic... or walking down 109th Street.

about last night... at the oscars... and the bets...

I practically lifted the very list from my an earlier post just to expand on it. Whatever is listed first after naming the category, is what was predicted by Entertainment Weekly. If I agreed, I left it alone. If I had other opinions, it's in bold parentheses... although on some I sort've agreed anyway to what the predictions were. Those that are underlined are the winners.

Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

Director, Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Actor: Sean Penn, Milk (the Comeback Kid Mickey Rourke or the Underdog Richard Jenkins)

Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader (too close for me to call, haven't seen any of these but if not Winslet, then Streep or Hathaway.)

Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona (I'd like to see a surprised Taraji Henson)

Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, Milk (I <3 Wall-E, honorable mention for In Bruges)

Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

Animated Film: Wall-E

Foreign-Language Film: The Class -LOST- Departures (Japan)

Documentary: Man On Wire

Editing: Slumdog Millionaire

Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire (The Dark Knight just for kicks)

Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Costume Design: The Duchess (Do period pieces from this era always seem to win... or am I wrong?)

Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Score: Slumdog Millionaire (I want to give this to Wall-E, but it's the only movie I've seen)

Song: "Jai Ho," Slumdog Millionaire

Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (I want to mention The Dark Knight for Two-Face, since most of the action on screen was barely CGI, according to the director. But I equally visually enjoy every special effect in Iron Man so this is a tough call for me)

Sound: The Dark Knight (Wall-E)

Sound Mixing: The Dark Knight (Wall-E... I mean c'mon... the sounds and the dude behind them?) -LOST- Slumdog Millionaire

Short: Spielzugland (Toyland)

Animated Short: Presto -LOST- La Maison en Petits Cubes

Documentary Short: The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306 -LOST- Smile Pinki

Overall, if I were to actually bet money, I would've lost 4 categories. Regardless, it's fun. And if you watched the telecast, you were either entertained, confounded or bored. Award shows aren't for everyone, but I thought it was different and enjoyed most of it except the length. I haven't figured out how to get my live-Tweetings to post on here... but I wouldn't torture you like that. I think I might've posted close to 100. Maybe. Instead, it's much more fun, and funnier, to watch professionals do it. I recommend to look around EW's Oscar page for more fun and recaps, especially if you are into that kinda thing and you want to know more of what happened last night.

dreams of anti-fame

I was reading about the dreams of aspiring screenwriters who want to make it big in Hollywood... as well as some money figures of what some screenplays sell for - even the ones that's don't get made. And to be completely honest, those figures I saw, even the so-called "modest" amounts, looked quite alright with me. But between that and reading an article about a soon-to-be-watched documentary called Dreams on Spec, I read some line about struggling to be "the next big thing." And I thought that line... and it got me thinking-I don't necessarily want to be the next big thing. I just want to be something. I indeed, want to be successful and content, but I don't want the glitz and glam. I'm still going to shop at The Mart and eat at IHOP. But, perhaps, I think it all depends on your definition of success. Anyway, I was stuck on the phrase "next best thing" and jotted some lines down as I thought about it.

I don't want to be the next big thing.
I just want to be something.
Not just anything, but a mix of everything.
They'll say "He's doin' his thing."

I'm completely aware that being a screenwriter isn't a profession that would make me an instant multi-millionaire (unless I'm directing, starring, etc.), but I just want to get by. Not only that, I just want to be really good at it too. So I continue my learning and studying. I haven't been aggressive in this passion the past few days due to some other concerns (like vacation planning), but rest assured, my dream won't be deterred. Oooh! Another hot line! [Scribbles in notebook.]

"push" film review

My sister thought this movie was a spin-off of Jumper or some kind of remake or movie version of Heroes or another kind of X-Men. And who could blame her? I only heard about this movie a month before it was released. Even then I wasn't so sure about it.

While it may not have cracked the top 5 in the box office, it was still a decent movie to see. The special effects were definitely fun and it kept you entertained... mostly. I counted a few dry spots that could've been cut or shortened or something. Most of the time it was giving the audience information... but it felt like the scenes went on too long and we needed to see more action and special effects!

It's a eye-candy movie like Wanted or The Matrix. It's not ground-breaking special effects, it's just fun to watch when it happens. The fight scenes in particular.

The title comes from what a certain kind of psychic can do, called pushers, who push thoughts and ideas into someone's mind. There are movers, who obviously move things with their mind. Watchers who can see the future. Sniffers who sniff things to see the past (of that object and those who have touched it). Shifter who change things into whatever they want. And bleeders who scream so loud, they make anything in ear shot bleed to death probably because their brains explode. It's kinda violent. There are a few others too but it's worth watching to check out this world they live in.

Overall, besides the dry parts, I'd watch it again when it hits DVDs. I wouldn't rush to the theater, though. And Dakota Fanning needs more clothes. I understand she was probably going for a certain look in this film... but I didn't like it. That's just me. Anyway, not a bad film. It does make you wonder which power you'd like to have.

I gave it *** and a half *.

life update 2.16.08

Hello fellow Indoobians. I wanted to turn some of my recent adventures into little short stories, but these events are piling up faster than I have time to sit down and write them. And I didn't want to neglect or forget to document them. Such things are a bit too much to let Twitter handle on it's own.

But let's journey briefly and chronologically, shall we?

February the 12th, I helped my friend, Unique, make cupcakes for the first time in her life. Actually, it was the second. Before I showed up, she burnt her first batch by breaking the first rule of baking that isn't listed on any recipes but apparently needs to be: don't leave the house. While they baked, we watched a movie about another kind of baking: Pineapple Express. Unfortunately, I had to given to my severe dislike of watching a bootleg (I don't care of the quality is top notch, it's still stealing and illegal). Fortunately, it's a movie I've already seen legally, so I'm not too bothered by it. By the time the movie ended, the cupcakes were done and were a success. I didn't help with the frosting, she handled that on her own without worry.

February the 13th, the so-called Unlucky Day, was actually a pretty decent and enjoyable day. Kitten and I went to see my best friend, or more appropriately, brother-from-another-mother whom I shall call Mr. Phoenix (for the time being, and with no relation to the actors) and his band Taken From Ashes (formerly known as The Final Approach) perform at a local pub. So local, I didn't even know it was there despite my driving past it several times in any given month. An hour long set was played with about 9 or 10 songs including an awesome metallic/rockish cover of Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise. This was an event I should've brought a camera for, so I could really show how things went down. It was undoubtedly fun, and TFA sounded great. Better than the Toad's performance.

February the 14th, Kitten and I reclaimed it as Friendship Celebration Day. Sure it's a corny title for those singles who don't have anything better to do, but to those who would've followed our exploits that day would think we were a couple anyway. We ventured to the mall and found a belated birthday gift for my brother-in-law, went to the movies to catch Push (which I still haven't written a review for), and later went out for pizza at a quiet pizzeria. Word to the wise for the future, local family-run places might not be as busy during such times compared to the commercial restaurants. Okay, that might not be a fact, but I was right in picking a not-so-busy place to hang out... even if that is our usual weekly not-so-busy hang out spot anyway.

Friendship Celebration Day continued as I ventured to Mr. Phoenix's new place. He and his girlfriend (who has a sense of humor painfully similar to my own, but I won't destroy her because of this since she's on my good side, Mr. Phoenix's better half and seriously enjoys cheese) treated me with nachos and chili dip as we caught up on life, talked about the performance from the night before, and watched Pan's Labyrinth. 'Twas a good time. For his birthday this weekend, he gets a free month of Netflix on me. Enjoy it. Now.

February the 15th, I was asked to fix a friend's computer. He got excited that I was coming and called his friend to come over so I could fix his too. So I stopped by his house and got one computer running, but not the other. I don't consider myself a computer expert, but I've been known to get by. This loss was discouraging, so I took it to the "Nerd Patrol," as I usually do when a problem is beyond my capabilities. I don't normally speak negative things about people, whether I know them or not... and I won't start now. Let's just say I don't like the character who "helped" me very much and I must now be alert of who's working at the desk the next time I return. Pompous pretentiousness isn't a very good customer service trait. Actually, it's not a good trait at all unless you are an evil villain. Hmm... looks like I met some inspiration.

It would seem like an incredibly random act for me to do this, but I signed up to sponsor a child with the Christian's Children Fund. It's something I actually thought about doing for a few years, but was never in a financially stable place to do so. But things are going good and I've since taken care or gotten rid of useless bills, so why not spend that money on something worth it? It's legit, I checked. My passion is still charity for the arts (in schools), and Lord knows America has it's own major problems. But the Indoob is global-people from around the world stop by. So this is me reaching back out to the world. And maybe someday I can go visit the little guy. More on this later.

I'm planning a road trip that I'm seriously (hopefully) going to take this summer. To where? The Mall of America! There was talk and plans of making plans to go last year with a few friends... but that fell through in a few different ways that's not necessary to discuss, and needless to say, I never left. But this year, I'm making plans with whom I'd call a "doer" and not just a "talker." I love my friends, but I need more doer friends than talkers, because I don't want to keeping talking about it. I need to do it. And I'll be sure to bring a camera or two to show it.

My dad (who is a doer) suggested I start writing letters to some famous doers asking for "not a hand out, but a hand up." People like Tyler Perry, who is definitely a success story if I ever heard one, from living in his car to owning several cars (I assume). Perhaps he'd like to lend a helping hand to someone like me. I know I definitely wouldn't mind working for him at his company. My dad also suggested contacting Will Smith's people. Both of which have their own successful production companies. My aunt suggested Oprah. Also worth a try, and we share a birthday... that's gotta get me some points, no? Whether I get in contact with any of them or not, this is my season for progression. And I refuse to lose my dream of doing and being something great.

So yeah... that was my weekend. I also ordered the second season of 30 Rock (shame on me for buying out of order, but it was cheaper and I still love you Tina Fey) and the Myrna Loy and William Powell Collection (more on that later). So please excuse me in a week or so whilst I laugh myself to creative, comedic and witty enlightenment with these awesome stories, actors and writers. But I'll be sure to pre-post some posts about stuff. Maybe. Somebody hasn't been sleeping much which affects his work during the day because he's too busy writing... so something's gotta give. And yes, I liked that movie.

placing my bets: oscars '09

Okay so I lied... this post has nothing to do with Valentine's Day whatsoever when I said every post this week would be Valentine-themed. But it's time-critical, so I felt the need to post this immediately instead of waiting until next week. Oscar business is big business.

I know I'm perfectly capable of making my own Oscar predictions, but being an Entertainment Weekly subscriber for the past five years has shown me that these guys really can pick 'em. At least the Academy Awards. I'm not saying they are right 100% of the time, and to be honest I don't remember if they were or not... but most of the time they are mostly right. At least for the major categories. So below are EW's Dave Karger's predictions. My own wishes and desires and hopefuls I put in parentheses. They might not win, but it'd be nice if they did. I know you can only pick one, but this is my blog, post your own predictions! (Or vote on the side bar, or leave me a comment.)

For the record, any category WALL-E is nominated in, I'm probably inclined to root for due to it's awesomeness and the sad fact it's one of the few Oscar nominated movies I've seen, and has been snubbed by some larger categories like Best Picture. Oh well. The big winners looks to be between Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button due to the nods they have, but the list below shows the final sweep by the underdog Slumdog. Based on their winning streak, I think I might be foolish to disagree even if I haven't seen that movie, or most of the movies nominated. Next year I'll get it together.

Check out this little Oscar Cheat Sheet I found! This was posted prior to the Globes, but you get the idea.

Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

Director, Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Actor: Sean Penn, Milk (the Comeback Kid Mickey Rourke or the Underdog Richard Jenkins)

Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader (too close for me to call, haven't seen any of these but if not Winslet, then Streep or Hathaway.)

Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona (I'd like to see a surprised Taraji Henson)

Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, Milk (I <3 Wall-E, honorable mention for In Bruges)

Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

Animated Film: Wall-E Foreign-Language Film: The Class

Documentary: Man On Wire

Editing: Slumdog Millionaire

Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire (The Dark Knight just for kicks)

Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Costume Design: The Duchess (Do period pieces from this era always seem to win... or am I wrong?)

Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Score: Slumdog Millionaire (I want to give this to Wall-E, but it's the only movie I've seen)

Song: "Jai Ho," Slumdog Millionaire

Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (I want to mention The Dark Knight for Two-Face, since most of the action on screen was barely CGI, according to the director. But I equally visually enjoy every special effect in Iron Man so this is a tough call for me)

Sound: The Dark Knight (Wall-E)

Sound Mixing: The Dark Knight (Wall-E... I mean c'mon... the sounds and the dude behind them?)

Short: Spielzugland (Toyland)

Animated Short: Presto

Documentary Short: The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306

So if you don't have plans Sunday, February 22nd, watch the Oscars with me. I'll (hopefully) be Twittering while I watch.

place your bets

It's that time of year again. No, not to exchange that last unwanted Christmas gift or to start looking for possible Valentine mates or to pick the color to repaint your house/room (although not bad ideas), it's Oscar season! For the past few years, I sit--sometimes crouch--patiently waiting for the biggest movie awards show. Sure, the Globes are nice, but it's not the Oscars. It's practically the only award show that I'll stay home for although I've been known to leave a couple times, or miss out on an hour due to birthday parties or visiting chums at The Mart that I worked with on third shift. Other times I attended Oscar parties (at Purchase) or had friends at my house who kept me busy.

I'm not aware of any such distractions--I mean occurrences this time around. All that's missing is my Entertainment Weekly which has an impressive track record of predicting who is going to win. I can't recall too many wrong answers, but I'm sure there were a couple. But I've been following along for the past few years as well as adding my own "I hope they win" picks. I'll probably do a more in depth post later about who my picks are, as well as who will probably win. Then after the show I'll post a recap as to who actually won. I didn't do it for the Globes since I usually don't watch the Globes (but I watched a little this year). Anyway, if you haven't seen the nominees for all the categories, here they are on IMDb.

Can we talk about snubs for a moment? Just in case you aren't hip to the award-show lingo, a snub is basically being passed over and completely left out. People have assumptions or high expectations that they'd get nominated for certain films or roles and then find out they don't... ouch. EW.com does ask the question, and I'm inclined to agree with some of the choices that should've at least been nominated, even if I haven't seen all of the movies. And trust me, I haven't... which makes my "I hope they win" picks a little difficult.

I don't gamble, but it is a fun game to play guessing who gets the gold. As my subject line suggests, place your bets.

fripodding and heavy roation: the top 5 five

Last friDay, in the first of my Heavy Rotation series, I shared my top ten favorite albums that came out before I was born. Prince seemed to be a favorite, and it almost didn't make it on the list being so close to T-Day. Anyway, I will show you 5 top album in 5 selected categories. Since this will be a list of 25 albums, I won't comment as to why I think the albums are on top, and I will also hold back from sharing album cover art. If you want specifics as to why I listed what I listed, you know where the comment button is.

I rate these based on their listenability - listening to an entire, or most of the album without much skipping. These are albums I bought or acquired, whereas I may not listen to every track. My rule is I have to like at least 3 songs to buy the whole thing. Well, back before iTunes and file sharing existed. I still buy a disc every once in a while. Also bear with me, it's not easy rating these in my own liking. I keep switching who's at #1 depending on my mood at the time. And I sadly had to take some albums out because they didn't rate well with the listenability meter. Shucks. Nevertheless, if you don't have any of these albums, I highly recommend you invest!

TOP 5 GOSPEL ALBUMS
I must be honest, I leave out a lot of gospel music on my playlist and even here with the friPods. And it is indeed a music genre I enjoy, and sing practically every Sunday, or every other Friday, and occasionally on Thursday...

5. BBJay - Universal Concussion
4. Detrick Haddon - Chainbreaker
3. Helen Baylor - The Live Experience
2. Detrick Haddon - Crossroads
1. Kirk Franklin - The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin

TOP 5 LIVE ALBUMS
I was actually working on making a LIVE playlist taking all the live songs I had, and well... ya know... one playlist. But I realized I have a decent collection of live albums. There are certain elements you just don't get with studio albums. Crowd screaming for one thing. And then it makes you wish you were there when you hear them react to something as if the performer did something or maybe it's a surprise guest! Finally, this massive party is also a compilation of some of your favorite songs, sometimes extend or mixed into a medley with something else. Just pure awesomeness all around and your ticket is about $15 for the CD.

5. Curtis Mayfield - Live 1971
4. John Legend - Live From Philadelphia
3. Kirk Franklin - The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin
2. Daft Punk - Alive 2007
1. Sam Cooke - Live from the Harlem Club Square

TOP 5 SOULFUL LADY ALBUMS
I could just knock off the soulful part so I could include Sara Barellis. I also had to draw a line and take out Lauryn Hill who'd no doubt stick out at #1. And Alicia Keys I left out for the simple fact that I wanted some newcomers to get a little bit of shine. So here are some of my favorite leading ladies... and if any of these beautiful singers are reading, please give me a call so we can hang out some time.

5. Corrine Bailey Rae - Corrine Bailey Rae
4. Chrisette Michele - I Am
3. Solange Knowles - Sol-Angel & The Hadley St. Dreams
2. Leela James - A Change Is Gonna Come
1. Joss Stone - Introducing...

TOP 5 90's ALBUMS
LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR: this is a list of albums I owned then. And I'm also basing this list on how often I listened to them back then. I'm fudging #5 by including 2, only because I really didn't own the album but borrowed it several times.

5. P. Diddy & the Bad Boy Family - No Way Out/Will Smith - Big Willy Style
4. Santana - Supernatural
3. Wyclef Jean - The Carnival
2. Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
1. K-Ci & JoJo - Love Always

TOP 5 SOUNDTRACKS
Let's face it, some movies wouldn't be what they are today if it wasn't for an awesome soundtrack backing it up. Or in some cases, it's what drives it. I also cheated on this list for the #1 slot putting 2 albums together... but it's not really cheating. The majority of both albums were composed by the same person. I would've included a 3rd album with the other 2, but I don't own it yet. I'd also like to note that Idlewild from Outkast would be on this list, except that technically, they consider the album as just that, an album, not a soundtrack to the movie. Yes, songs from the movie are included on it, but you'll also find a chunk of the songs from Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Anyway, check out the movies that these soundtracks belong too as well as their awesome musical ventures.

5. Dreamgirls (Deluxe edition)
4. Superbad
3. Black Snake Moan
2. Purple Rain
1. Ocean's Eleven/Ocean's Thirteen

Yes, yes y'all!

a wonder (and) full weekend

Last week was pretty busy and a little on the rough side for not only me, but my family, church and a few friends. I don't normally get into the person aspects of my life, but I do see the Indoob as somewhat of a documentation. But in retrospect, I must say that some positive things came out of such a long week, and I felt the need to recognize them.

For most of the week, I've been doing some much needed work on my church's website. You can check it out if you want, but as you'll see, I haven't updated it in a long time. It hopefully will be fully updated by Thursday, or Friday. And I'm no pro at web design, I just know the basics and that's all that is. Besides, I'm the only one my dad knows that is capable and I currently work for free.

Thursday, my friend whom I shall codename as "Kitten" (although she probably wouldn't mind if I used her real name) dropped off a gift of appreciation for just being her friend. Internally, I felt like weeping, but really I just don't know how to handle unexpected niceness like that. I think it's a guy thing. Pineapple is my favorite fruit... so...


My first chocolate covered fruit!



And check out this sentimental special note that almost surely brought the tears.

In case you are struggling to make out the words, it says "Thank you for being there for me. You really are the best friend anyone could ever have." She's awesome.

Friday night, the Kitten and I met up with my other best friend whom I've affectionately dubbed "Dearest" and had dinner at a buffet that Kitten and I actually ate at for lunch. So yes, I went to the same buffet twice in the same day. No judging, thanks. Anyway, we met Dearest's boyfriend whom I heard so much about, and now I can officially approve. But the highlight for me was to have two awesome, beautiful women who happen to be the best friends I've had for some time, share a table with me. Another minor note, we seem to share a love for discussing poop. Buy that book, it'd be awesome to see that on a best seller's list. You know you're curious. Anyway, the Dearest mailed me a letter I recieved possibly a couple days late, also telling me how great of a friend I am. Look at the time she put into writing me! This is what I love about my friends... the time they take to show me that care is worth so much more than what money could buy.


Saturday I watched an awesome movie called The Notorious Bettie Page. I knew very little about the real life person, and Jaden at ScreenwritingforHollywood indirectly recommended I look into it. I fell in love with the way the movie was shot, that's the first thing. Secondly, between the actress playing her and Ms. Page herself? Absolutely beautiful. Before the movie was even over I was at my laptop writing up a draft of a treatment to a brand new story this movie inspired. The interesting this it has nothing to do with Betty, pin-up models, or anything that movie dealt with. It really doesn't have a title, but it's about a young man who moves from the city to an old southern country town and converts a run down barn into a makeshift movie theater. I was going to use this set up as a way to showcase several short films that I, or others have written and filmed. But the concept took on a life of it's own as I started fleshing out who this guy was and why he was there and things like that. Honestly, that's my favorite part about storytelling.

I finished with great timing... Kitten wanted to go out to dinner as well as test her car in the snow. I live on a hill so she had trouble getting to my house, but she made it just as I wrote the ending sentence. We ventured out to Friendly's which closed early. Too bad for them.

During service on Sunday, I was happy to see some people hadn't seen in a while. That's always nice. It also struck me, while someone was talking, not to hold grudges which apparently I think I may be doing. So later today, I will fix that error. Nobody's perfect, but if there is something wrong with ourselves that we are aware of, why not get it right?

Afterwards the entire family went out to the Olive Garden--where everyone is family. Good times. Dame (my brother-in-law) told me about an idea that he (and my sister, his wife) had been thinking of for sometime. Basically, he'd like to start a production company with me, mostly to help out around the church but to eventually branch out and help others. I'd take video and graphics duties, while he did mostly audio work like recording and sound production. He's the church's keyboardist and wrote a few songs. So we'd be a dangerous combination. So we chatted about that later that night while also discussing some recently favorited songs, or styles of songs. I'm currently getting into Go-Go music, similar to this:


The night got better with a phone call from not just a best friend, but one I consider a brother-from-another-mother. We chatted for a while, and for once, about me and my life. It was nice to get some of my own drama out even if I hate admitting I have it. But even while I was telling him my story, it came out as a comedy because it made him laugh. Imagine that.

Lastly, one of my newest friends who doesn't have a nickname yet, I chatted with online as we watched the last hour of the Golden Globes. Woot woot for 30 Rock and Tina Fey. I've been strongly recommended to see Slumdog Millionaire and have even been given a website to watch it for free. But I have morals. And if the movie business is something I want to get into, then it's like robbing from myself. It'd be different if it were a legit site, like, Netflix, Hulu or something. But 'twasn't. Yet I do want to see this movie really bad.

Oh, and now Sam is back and fully functional. There's a picture of him being towed away, but I'm too tired to do that right now. There's more than enough links and pictures to make this a fully interactive post, no?

So, my lesson to all is that although things may look bad, they could always be worse. Appreciate everything and reflect on the positive because who wants to sit around being sad and depressed?

fripodding trailer trash 2

So my list continues of awesome movies in 3 minutes or less. Well, this post isn't, but the trailers are. They are like mini movies to get you all hyped up and excited to spend money in seeing the real thing. And sadly, sometimes you're better off seeing the trailer only. Other times, you know right away if you want to see a movie based on the trailer alone. (And for a buff like me, there are some movies that squeak by without me knowing until I see the trailer.)


This was almost one of those movies I mentioned above about hearing next to nothing about the movie UNTIL seeing the trailer first. But once I saw the trailer, I knew I had to see this. And I love this movie by the way. What I like about the trailer is the use of music. If you got a hot song (or songs) you might have it made. Just do me a favor... please include the song in the movie or on the soundtrack for us music fans. See some of the other titles below... Also note the way the plot is given to us so we know what we're getting into.


I don't know if I saw the movie or trailer first... but the trailer gives you the basics of what this movie is, yet you still see so much going on that it may draw some curiosity to check more into it. And you should, this a fun movie. Almost kinda random, but I like movies like that. I also like ensemble pieces.


Speaking of ensemble pieces. As I once mentioned, I'm 100% convinced that an anticipated movie is released when I see a trailer. I almost wet my pants when I saw this. (If you didn't already know, this is like one of my top 5 favorite movies of all time, paired with Ocean's Eleven of course... and Twelve just for box set's sake.) But I love seeing the stars that are featured in the movie and I have my own dreams of having a quick shot with "t. sterling watson" stylized next to my face while I'm doing or saying something.


Here is another hot track set to a bunch of action. Technically this one is a teaser, but who's counting? And this song is on the soundtrack. And this is another fun movie just as long as you don't take it seriously.


Okay... this is probably the runner up trailer and I'll explain why... It has so many elements of a trailer that I like--music, of course, is first. Quick note, it's because of this movie (the first 10 minutes or so) that introduced me to my all-time favorite idol Sam Cooke and some of his music is featured here. Anyway, later Moby's "Body Rock" is played, and that's not on the soundtrack but I believe it's in the movie. Next thing I like about this trailer is the drama it builds by the spoken one liners from the various characters. The slow motion. And one of my favorite parts is the camera flashes that show the captions and eventually reveals the title. That is something I want to do myself with a movie trailer. But back to the build drama until the title is revealed. I've watched some trailers that would've been more effective (for me personally) had they built it up. But this trailer? I love it. The movie I also like too...

But my #1 favorite trailer to date...

I almost want to hold off until next week, but I won't. Just in case I let some people down and they say, "you picked that?" Again, this is based on the trailer alone, not the movie. Because most times, most people see the trailer first anyway, and that's what happened to me for this one. I also grew to appreciate this movie after seeing it... but it all started with this:

Can I say it? Orgasmic! A feast for the eyes. Dramatic blacks and whites mixed with color when appropriate. And the MUSIC! It's the instrumental version of The Servant's - Cells which isn't a bad song. At one time I had both versions. But for me, this song MADE this trailer. And there is a longer trailer which is slightly different but I'm glad still included the song. But I like this version so much better. I love it when it's almost like it's a music video. Kinda. It's timed so perfectly with the clips of the movie and introductions of the main characters, then the spoken lines from some of those characters, then the montage of actors in the film all building up to a final line and the reveal of the title. Then the inevitable... coming soon.

"the day the earth stood still (2008)" film review

Normally I save the movie reviews for my MySpace blog, which practically the only thing I use MySpace for these days. But with the amount of movies I watch, I need some way of keeping track of the newer ones (not necessarily recently released, but movies I've seen for the first time). So the easiest way is to write reviews on them recording my first, or even second impressions. Most of these movies I watch at home via store rentals, TV and of course Netflix. I don't get to the theater as often as I'd like to, but when I'm there, the movie usually has a different feel to it than when I'm at home. BUT the theaters don't have special DVD features that I sometimes watch before rating... so there's that to keep in mind. I respect a lot of the professional film critics, but I don't write like them. I like to tell my thoughts "unadulterated" like you are a regular person and whether or not you should see it. Again, check my MySpace to see more. But on with the review!



First of all, if you didn't know, this is a remake of the 1951 original by the same name. I actually did see the original a few months ago to prepare for the new one, so the story was pretty fresh in my head, and I really liked the original. Starting out, I would recommend that whether you see this new one in theaters or not, watch the original.

And I am not knocking the remake. Apparently the professional critics didn't care very much for it (and neither did some people on the message board at IMDb.com). I actually rather liked it. Much like the original, there's a lot of tension and suspense. There is some action as well, but probably not enough to keep serial sleepers (like my dad) awake unless they just woke up or eating something. We're all guilty of that sometimes no matter how entertaining a movie is. I went in with a cup of coffee because I was feeling sleepy before I went in, so that's different. Having seen the original, I knew what to expect and was waiting for certain plot points to fall into place. Most of them did, but others were changed--like the relationship between the lead character Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) and the wee boy Jacob (Jaden Smith). I'd just like to make a note here that this boy is a spitting image of his father. It's also brought to my attention (from a friend) that he looks like a very younger version of me... hair included. I'm still not sure how I feel about this but at least I know who can play the child version of myself in my autobiography.

Anyway, what I think could draw people in with curiosity is the giant globe things seems in the trailers. Or maybe it's Gort, the giant robot Klaatu brings with him. Special effects can help tell the story, as long as there is some kind of story to tell. I must admit, I do like how they upgraded him from the original AND kept him looking pretty much the same. I like how they came up with calling him Gort... instead it was more like G.O.R.T. The military and their acronyms. What I did miss (and perhaps it was my own ears) was the key famous phrase everyone knows from the original. "Klaatu barada nikto!" I rather not discuss the significance of that phrase at this point, but if it said in the new one, please let me know. Really though, I can't stop geeking out about Gort. Maybe it's an "original vs. remake" thing. Naturally the remake has better effects and a better spaceship. Oh yeah, and the original never had so much product placement in it. This made me laugh. But it also makes me want a touch screen computer. And maybe some fries.

But let's talk about the message this movie brings. It's actually not that far off from the original as well, but both of them don't want to tell you right away (adding to the suspense). All you know is that Earth, or the people on Earth will be destroyed if this warning is not heard by those who can take action. That is what Klaatu (in both versions) requests, to speak with the leaders of Earth. And hey, it's probably for these movies that make all the other aliens in popular movies frequently request "Take me to your leader." The reason why he wishes to meet with the leaders is indeed a real life threat. I'd even argue that the message in the original is somewhat still a real life threat. It was more so at the time that movie was made, but nevertheless, it gave a serious reason for an alien to come for a "visit." And does the Earth actually stand still? I'll just say it was another slight difference between the original and remake. Regardless, a point was made and perhaps a real life alien won't come to our planet with similar messages to make.

Overall, I'd recommend this movie to people who enjoy a good sci-fi dramatic piece, as well as those who like a little disaster flick mixed in. I think Keanu Reeves plays a great Klaatu. Even though he doesn't seem that different from other characters he may have played, the role isn't meant to have a lot of emotion. I heard critics say this movie moved too slow or didn't hit the potential it could've reached... I'm not sure what they were expecting. Again, I suggest watching the original if you get the chance. I'll be watching the original very soon yet again, and I'd buy both of these movies. It'd be great if they were packaged together. And the question I know I'd be asked... what's better overall--original or remake? I like them both, and depending on who you are, I'd recommend either the old or new version. But if you can, see both and decide for yourself.

On a side note, watch out for a knock-off "mockbuster" by the name of The Day The Earth Stopped. If you frequent the Hollywood Video and Blockbuster rental movie chains, you might see movies that look/sound strikingly similar to something released in a theater. Honestly, it's a little annoying, but also quite hilarious to see them (on the shelf). I don't plan on seeing any of these titles for fear of time wasted. If you are a renter, it's worth the wait to see the real movie.

Score: *****

(Oh yeah, and just like on my MySpace blog, I give ratings... While I attempt at staying original but easy to understand, I use askerisks from 1 (sometimes 0) to 5, ***** being the best.)

in my mind, i'm already gone

My vacation begins officially December 19th. I don't have plans on going anywhere except the deep recesses of my mind in Dreamland which involves sleeping past 9 AM without worry of missing phone calls from my office phone. Actually, the ringer on my phone is already off (sometimes, especially on Mondays, I leave the ringer off and wait for the red lights to tell me when my phone is ringing). And whenever I leave my desk for the day, I'm rarely concerned about missing calls.

But not only do I get an extend stay in Dreamland, but I can actually write when I feel like writing. This is why I chose December to focus on my screenplays, because I knew I'd have these 2 weeks to devote some "anytime" time to them. Whereas when I'm at work, I can't run upstairs to type out a scene or wake up in the middle of the night to type out a conversation when I know I need to remain asleep so I can work the next day. I always get those strong urges to write at the wrong times. It's a terrible cycle.

With that, I'll just say I didn't get much script work done this weekend. It's not like I didn't try. I just wasn't feeling it. So instead of forcing myself, I just watched movies, talked with friends, relaxed, listened to new music and had some delicious Jamaican food! And when I say I watched movies... I watched about 5 in a 24 hours span. Not that that's new for me, I just haven't done it in a while. I haven't written reviews for these movies (which included The Visitor, His Girl Friday, The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008), Horton Hears a Who and This Christmas) yet, but they will be on my MySpace shortly.

Also, I think what I will do from now on is post reviews for movies I've seen in theaters on this blog as well as on MySpace. So look for The Day The Earth Stood Still in the very near future. Wow, that almost sounds like an actual threat.

On a sad note, I lost a dear friend and semi-prized possession over the weekend. Friday I was having lunch with my friend, and I shared that the belt I was wearing was tearing and how I thought I'd have another month left with it. I was off by a month and an hour when is snapped while I was shopping at the Mart. Fortunately no one noticed, except for me and anyone looking at my face with my sudden look of fear and embarrassment. Fortunately my jeans are not that loose that they would immediately fall because then I would've been in a lot more trouble.

But besides stopping dead in my tracks and looking like I lost my wallet or my keys, I was in the clear. I checked out and moved to my car as quickly as possible making sure my pants kept up with me. When I got to the car I checked the damage, cried a little bit, then went home. Ah, good times. As for happier news, guess who's first in getting all their wrapped gifts under the tree? And yes, I'll admit, I cheated and had practically all my gifts shipped already wrapped. So call me lazy.

fripodding trailer trash part 1

Since this will appear to be a pretty long post, I'm doing everyone a favor by chopping it in half... sorta...

Today's iPick is actually more "iPicks" since I'm going to list some of my favorite movie trailers. Once I got iSaac, I was happy to find that's one more awesome thing it can do--play movie trailers. However, they must be the iPod version if you are at http://apple.com/trailers where I found the basis for my list. Sadly, not all of them can go on to iSaac, but that won't get us down. Also, I can't stream what's on the Apple site. Maybe I could, but I'm not going to test those waters. And one more sad note, Apple/iTunes doesn't have all the trailers I was looking for. But what iTunes didn't have, YouTube did. And it worked both ways actually, some of the better versions of trailers iTunes had, and YouTube had no idea what I was talking about. So sad.

Before I start the list, I just want to note this isn't what I intended to discuss, but thanks to the antics at Melissa's Writing Forward comments area, I was inspired to post something that inspires me. And I'll try to be as brief about it as I can, but I'm a total geek for movie trailers. I show up early for them, I watch them on the DVDs, I download them online. Imagine how excited I felt when I found out people make trailers for a living. Trust me, I haven't cross that one off my list. What makes a trailer great to me is great use of music, great pieces of dialogue, cinematography, voice overs from the actual movie, or just getting a feel for what the movie is--especially if you've never seen or heard of the movie before. You will see one or some of these things in movies I've chosen and I'll do a wee bit of a caption. Let's get started!


As this trailer is awesome on it's own, the one on iTunes I like a lot better. Plus this is a good introduction to what a trailer is... in case you didn't know. Also, I love the teaser for this movie which is also on iTunes.



Speaking of teasers... What I love about this is the title's transformations. I'm a sucker for graphics like that. And seeing in the theater is squeal inducing.



This trailer would've made me want to see this movie had I not seen the movie way before I saw the trailer. That happens sometimes when you flip through the channels and tune into something that just started. But still, if you haven't seen this movie, maybe you are interested now?



Two words: eye candy.
I will say this, the movie isn't the greatest, but its fun to watch the colors. I can't help but get a little excited hearing the music though...



For some reason people either love it or hate it. But when the trailer came out, most people I talked to loved it... or at least the trailer. I'm a fan of both, and I think they have another version of the trailer... can't remember, but I probably like that one too.



One of my favoritest movies. What I like about a trailer like this is even though it shows you some funny stuff, the funniest stuff has still yet to be revealed. It's also the music.



To be honest, I don't know a whole lot about this graphic novel this movie is based on, but I have until March to find out. Furthermore, there is another version of this trailer I like better, but I can't find it on YouTube, it is on iTunes/Apple.com so check it out. The other trailer tells more of a story, still has the awesome music, and you can't help but love the visuals.

So, you've seen a few of what I chose for my favorite picks for trailers, and this isn't even the entire list. What are some of your favorites?

script skills, activate!

Woot woot! It's December of 2008. Why am I so excited? Not sure. However, this month I plan to devote to strictly scriptwriting... or at least to the scriptwriting process--character developments, plot developments, mapping out the stories, and most important: actually writing the script itself. For me, for some reason, that's the most time-consuming. The nice thing about getting to the step is whenever I get into a good flow, I could probably complete a script in a matter of hours or less, depending on how long the story actually is. I know this because of my screenwriting class a few years ago, along with my own personal episodes when I'm struck with a short script to write. The only thing I'm limiting myself to is still to pre-existing material I've already started either on my laptop, scraps of paper, and especially ideas written in my notebook(s). Some ideas have begun festering due to inactivity and being further developed. The sooner they are finished, the sooner I can devote my notebook (and brain space) to new fresh ideas to fester... I mean develop.

(This is a picture of iSaac playing "Champion" and my notes on one of my latest works, "Champion.")

Basically, all this month I will refrain from working on poetry (unless, of course, a wave of inspiration sweeps me into jotting lyrics to something really wonderful) and I may even be blogging less (I'm not sure how true that will actually be) but since I'm fairly new on Twitter, I'll probably stay up to date on that via text messages from my phone. Regarding my poetic skills, I've been working on pieces all of November and only (secretly) published 1 of 5 written. Why? I don't know. I will publish 2 more, as I feel the other 2 may remain "unreleased" because I know I can do better. As one of my poetry teachers once told me, sometimes we write poems that are meant just to clear our throat. Once we get the phlegm out of the way, we can clearly say what we mean, with great flow and rhythm and all that good stuff. I think it's possible to still make those throat-clearers something worth reading. However, how they look right now, it's not up to par with the level I'm trying to achieve. Don't worry, you probably aren't missing anything special if you never read what I never release.

So as this month goes on, I ask for support in this challenge. I work better if I'm pressured. Odd as it may sound, I don't like pressure, but when I am, I'm more productive. It's like a turbo boost to the process and progress. I like those 2 things and those eventually lead to my personal favorite kind of euphoria: results and accomplishments. So every so often this month, feel free to ask me how I'm doing? What have I completed? Am I done yet? Ya know, annoying things like that. This can be done via blog comments this month, emails (including MySpace and Facebook), text messages (for those who know me like that), instant messages (I'm on AIM), in person (if I'm caught outside of my house), and especially my new social funess Twittering. I usually respond within 24 hours to any message depending where and what I'm doing. If I take any longer, then it means that I officially hate you. I JEST! I jest...

In the meantime, enjoy my fruits of November labor.

Champion - inspired by various songs, my life and my father.

Letter to My Beloved Somebody - inspired by John Legend's I Love, You Love

Fallen - inspired by this post by Melissa Dovovan ...amongst other things.

summer cinema blockbusters = winter home entertainment

It took me a few years to realize it, but that tends to be how summer movies work. I say this only because I just came home from Hollywood Video with my new Tuesday releases Wall-e and Tropic Thunder. I also picked up Kung Fu Panda, a movie that came out a week or so ago but I forgot about. I managed to miss all of these (and a few others) when they were in theaters. Shame on me, I know. But I got to see the mega hits like Iron Man, Indiana Jones, Wanted and The Dark Knight, so that's all that matters (not really).

As the weather starts to turn into it's typical New Englandy cool-down (and lately it's been struggling to get there with stubborn spring-like temps every other day), I once again reminisce about my Purchase days and the theory--or philosophy--my buddy Ryder shared with me about the opposite sex that lived on campus. This actually could translate to other places besides college, like maybe the mall, but basically once it gets cold, all the pretty girls tend to stay inside. (This doesn't mean they never come out, since we still need to get to class. And it doesn't mean we are excluding less attractive women either. We weren't that shallow. But we had our preferences.) The trick is to get friendly with these hibernating ladies before the snow falls so they are snuggling up with you somewhere warm in a dorm room or house or something. Even though I was at Purchase for a year, this theory seemed to be true. There really weren't as many girls roaming the courts when it was cold and snowy unless it was necessary. The dorms were all connected with underground tunnels that also went to the dining hall, so that was a popular option for everyone, even if the food was... blah? But 'twas another chance to find more cuddle buddies.

And what better way to pass the snuggle time than with a warm summer blockbuster now on DVD? Well, actually watching old classics or TV shows on DVD worked just fine, sometimes better. What else may go on during these cuddly snuggly times I don't think I need to discuss, this is a college atmosphere I'm describing. As eccentric as the Purchase is, it's still college. But the great thing about that place is how movies of all kinds, old and new, domestic and foreign, would bring people together. Well, until Christmas break.

Reviews of the movies above will be (or have been) posted on my MySpace, per usual once the film has been viewed and I feel like writing about it.

fripodding and celebrating like a champion

Where to begin in the epic story of the week that was?

First of all, I must say that last Halloween was a blast for me, doing my annual DJ gig, playing good music for 3-4 hours straight for kids and adults to have fun to. The Jackson 5 was revisted. Pictures were taken, but I wasn't in any of them, so I won't share them. Don't get a hissy fit with me! I'm important too, ya know. Plus, I need a new MySpace picture, especially with me in action. I was Tito.

Monday I had computer issues. I had to upgrade a program I use for work. Sadly, it wasn't working, therefore I couldn't work. It was bittersweet. It gave me time to rewatch what may now be my favorite foreign film The Man Who Copied. If you've never heard of it, I suggest you Netflix it immediately. It hails from Brazil and stars Leandra Leal whom I've developed a hopeless crush over. I actually should dedicate a post for the movie alone. Anyway, I watched it a couple times picking up things I never noticed before as well as being re-inspired to fulfill my dream in wanting to tell the world stories through my writing and eventual filmmaking. My computer program finally worked correctly eventually, so that's great.

Tuesday. I said it before, I'm a news junkie. CNN.com is a friend on my work computer. I couldn't stop checking it all day long. I don't know why. I did my vote thing around 10ish. No lines. Awesome. A cute girl was working there, but no game was played. It's hard to do moves when you're with you mom, plus I think it would just annoy the worker. I really wanted to go back home anyway. After work, I ran out to rent some movies because I couldn't imagine watching the news from 7PM until who knew when. Even I need a break sometime. But my dad and I kept tabs on our laptops while we watched movies. Then my dad channel surfed until I decided to go to my room to watch Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert tell me the Earth-shattering news. I wish I was at someone's party or out in the streets. I really did. This needs a post all it's own, which I sort've addressed Tuesday night. But this can lead into today's friPod's iPick.

I've actually been waiting to talk about this song for a while. But after Tuesday, the message behind this song is clear: Kanye West's "Champion." I'm just going to throw this out now, as of today, I don't care too much for his new toy he likes to use in his songs. But hey, the same thing happened when music video directors discovered the fish-eye lense. And bullet-time. I still like bullet-time though.

I don't care much for the video, however it is very creative with Kanye as a puppet training to be a champion. Once again, I'd post it, but embedding is disabled. Watch and listen to the video here.

I actually made a playlist with iSaac featuring Champion-esque song. But this song is very uplifting, inspiring and empowering for me. It keeps me ambitious and working hard to achieve greatness. Furthermore, as the chorus suggest: did you realize that you were a champion in their eyes? And yes, after much reminding, I did realize that. And the eyes are those of children, peers and my family whom support me. So this song is a reminder as to who I'm working for, so to speak. Would you like to see the Champion Playlist? It's not long, and by no means is it complete. I don't think an average playlist is complete until you can fit it into a CD. Unless its for a specific event... like a 3-5 hour Halloween party. iSaac actually has the playlist called "champion beats" since I built the list on strong bass and/or drumlines. Not all of them had champion messages though*. Regardless--

1. Champion Requiem - Mos Def
2. Champion - Kanye West
3. Move On Up - Curtis Mayfield
4. We Want Your Soul - Andre 3000*
5. I Need You - Alicia Keys*
6. Hostile Gospel Pt. 2 - Talib Kweli
7. Grammy Family - Consequence feat. DJ Khaled, Kanye West & John Legend

Like I said, it's a short playlist and I haven't added to it... yet. But that's what keeps me in a champion mind set, and Kanye is a good role model for that. Interestingly enough, he has a connection to every artist on that playlist. But we'll play that game another day.

Lastly, there's a poem I've been working on that also deal with the champion theme, but unfortunately I didn't finish it in time to go along with this post. Nevertheless, when it's complete, I shall make it known and also restate a revised playlist, hopefully.

Happy Friday all.

i <3 monday!

My brain is severely scattered today. I've managed to complete about 7 files... which isn't too bad, especially for how I've been feeling these past few Mondays. Plus my day isn't nearly over. I'd much rather remain asleep and start work on Tuesday. But that won't work because then Tuesday becomes the new Monday. It's a terrible cycle. Too many distractions. Right now, my grandmother is preparing something that looks like apple crisp. It looks delicious even without being cooked yet. But I feel not-so-good due to a hefty breakfast I made myself this morning. It was good, but maybe a little too good. AND I'm a little sleepy from reading too much into all five of the Saw movies. I've only seen the first two... And those movies I'm not really into. I don't care much for gore and torture. But with my overactive imagination, I read the plots to all 5 movies, and how the devices worked and what happened to all the victims. I did that for about 2-3 hours before I realized I should get some sleep... but I was a bit too terrified to do so because images like to playback in my dreams making it a little too real for me. SO after watching some Marx Brothers movies and a few Sudoku and solitaire games later, I was off to sleep with no torture-related nightmares. My waked-up time was between 6 and 7 am, and I didn't fall asleep until about 3 am. Yay!

Prior to my research into dreary doomland, I hopped back into my screenwriting chair and formatted a previously written script into a more professional-looking one. When I'm in a zone (or away from a computer that has Final Draft), I'll write a rough draft in MS Word, and just use a format I always see in high school or church plays:
BILLY: I ate a rock.
TIMMY: That's too bad.
BILLY: I know. (cries)
It's only 4 pages, but it tells quite a story. I strived for realism in the dialogue, and after having someone read through it, I think I achieved that much. Unlike what I usually write, this is on the dramatic/sad side. It's about the break up of an affair between a guy and a girl who have a secret to share with each other. Hey, it's only 4 pages, I can't give everything away.

I feel like working on one of the last projects I started back on my last writing retreat... which is coincidentally titled "The Writing Retreat." Guess what it's about! That's right... making apple crisp. Well, after sitting in bed trying to clear my mind of senseless violence, I came up with another character to add to the story. The hotel I stayed at seems like it encouraged people to live there... So I came up with a character who lived at the hotel that the main character can interact with at different occasions while he's there. I haven't really touched the story itself since a few months ago, but if I get a chance tonight, I'll rewrite it before working on the actual script itself. All of this after a quick Sudoku of course. I also want to put some time in on my Noah Madison project thanks to Jaden's latest post. I need to schedule time to work on certain projects just so no one feels ignored. (I hear your cries Fickette, I miss you too!)

I have a love/hate feeling towards the actual screenwriting process. I like writing dialogue... but it just takes so long for me sometimes--keeping track of the character's personalities, how they would speak, what they would say, and still making it sound believable... unless every character is just so outrageous, that they can get away with grunts.

I really want to see Wall-E after hearing so much good about it and it's non-use of speech. Better yet, I wonder if I could get my hands on the screenplay to see how that reads.

Okay, I must snap out of it and get back to "real work" and do some early knocking-out-of-the-park numbers so I can slack off on Thursday. We've got a meeting at the office and it's requested I be there so I can bring some food back for my mom. It's supposed to be catered with all sorts of yummies. But I'm in a Monday mood, so I can care less about going to a meeting right now. Even with free catered food. What do I really care about? I want to either be on my laptop or under the covers being unconscious. But we can't have everything, can we? Yes we can! Obama told me so.