Turns out the report of Oak Ridge winning their last game was incorrect. I don't know the score - but Pennie told me that they didn't win it. Oh well.

- posted by Chris @ 11:23 PM

 


After some video production work in the morning, Pennie and I spent most of the day Saturday at Oak Ridge High School at a baseball tournament. Pennie worked the concession stand and her son, Josh plays on the varsity team. When I got there, there was really nothing happening. The tournament had been going on for a couple days and I think it was the consolation bracket that was being played there at Oak Ridge while the championship bracket was being held at the Woodlands. After a very long delay waiting for umpires to arrive, the first game got underway. It was a barn-burner as Austin Bowie came from way behind, not once but twice before winning the game in extra innings 13-12 over New Caney. In the next game, it was Josh's Oak Ridge War Eagles taking on Dripping Springs. Oak Ridge fell behind early behind some sporadic pitching. Josh's friend, Michael Whitehead came in the game in relief and stopped the bleeding as the War Eagles swooped back into the contest. Whitehead got rocked pretty hard before being pulled and once again Oak Ridge found themselves behind and running out of time. There was some very crazy and suspect calls by the umps back to back which seemed to fire up Oak Ridge. After back-to-back ripoffs by the men in blue (a clear interference at second base that was ignored and an outrageous blown call that prompted the umps to call Oak Ridge back on the the field to complete an already completed innning,) time was called and it was left to Oak Ridge to come back in their final three outs or be knocked out of the tournament.



Lance Nobile (far right) with a strong wind at his back and his team's back against the wall, cranked one out for his second walkoff homerun in two games. Oak Ridge went on to play Austin Bowie and I am sorry to say that I left before it was over (the game was still tied at 0-0.) Turns out I missed another win by the War Eagles including a late inning hit by Josh. Oak Ridge took the Consolation Championship.


- posted by Chris @ 5:41 PM

 


Pennie and I went to Theatre Southwest to see the play Tributaries. It was an excellent play that examined the varied relationships between father and son. You will be moved by the depth of passion and the heights of hilarity. See this play! You still have time to catch this run, as it runs through March 13th. I highly recommend the production. Do not be fooled by the appearance of the theater as it is in a small strip center. There is nothing small or stripped down about the talent of the players.
- posted by Chris @ 11:40 PM

 


I know you wanted it - okay, maybe you could care less - but here are my picks for the Oscars.
This is one of the first years that I have see all five of the nominees for Best Picture - usually, there is at least one I didn't catch. Lost in Translation was entertaining, but certainly not the best. Master & Commander was a really good movie, but just pales a bit in comparison. Seabiscuit was a fun movie and very enjoyable, but rarely has the Rocky-formula won (well, since Rocky). I thought Mystic River was the best film of the lot, but think it will go to The Return of the King because of the grandness, special effects etc.
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Best Picture
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Lost in Translation
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Mystic River
Seabiscuit


I did miss a few of these performances. I did not see Cold Mountain or House of Sand and Fog and trust that both actors gave great performances. Bill Murray was certainly good in Lost in Translation, but his competition is too good. Johnny Depp put in the most enjoyable performance and continues to shine as one of the greatest contemporary actors. I think that Sean Penn deserves the award though for a great job in Mystic River.
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Best Actor
Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Ben Kingsley, House of Sand and Fog
Jude Law, Cold Mountain
Bill Murray, Lost in Translation
Sean Penn, Mystic River


I am a terrible judge in this category as I only saw one of these films... despite some rather retarded political statements, Tim Robbins IS a good actor and he did a fine job in Mystic River. Maybe before Sunday, I can catch another couple of these films and update my choice.
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Best Supporting Actor
Alec Baldwin, The Cooler
Benicio Del Toro, 21 Grams
Djimon Hounsou, In America
Tim Robbins, Mystic River
Ken Watanabe, The Last Samurai


Another tough pick as I only saw two of them. Lost in Translation was a really good script, but Finding Nemo was my surprise secret pleasure. I loved this little cuddly film and think it deserves the nod.
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Best Screenplay (original)
The Barbarian Invasions
Dirty Pretty Things
Finding Nemo
In America
Lost in Translation


Well, after seeing only two, I can only pick from Master & Commander and Seabiscuit. Both were brilliantly shot, but M&C had the benefit of getting great majestic ocean shots.
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Cinematography
City of God
Cold Mountain
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit


I have seen all three and all three had great visuals. The ghosts in Pirates were amazing, the amazing miniature work in Master was brilliant, but nobody stands a chance in a year in which Return of the King competes.
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Visual Effects
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl


Geez, talk about a tough category. Return has great costumes, but they are of the normal hack-n-slash nature. Seabiscuit's period outfits were fun and time-true. Where was Pirates in this category? I guess they had to have room to throw in Pearl Earring. In the end though - Master and Commander should win.
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Costume Design
Girl with a Pearl Earring
The Last Samurai
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit


No contest - Nemo is an instant classic.
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Best Animated Feature Film
Brother Bear
Finding Nemo
The Triplets of Belleville


Can you believe this? I love documentaries but haven't seen any of these. It could be that I catch my documentaries a year later on satellite. Where do you go to see a doc in a theater?
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Best Documentary Feature
Balseros
Capturing the Friedmans
The Fog of War
My Architect
The Weather Underground


I think that Eastwood should win for Mystic River, but Peter Jackson will take it for pulling off the monumental (and money-saving) task of shooting three top-notch films at the same time. Look for more trilogies shot this way.
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Best Director
Fernando Meirelles, City of God
Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Sofia Coppola, Lost in Translation
Peter Weir, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Clint Eastwood, Mystic River


I haven't see Monster and believe that Charlize will most likely win because of the pub it has gotten, but if anyone other than Keisha Castle-Hughes wins this it will be the BIGGEST MISTAKE IN OSCAR HISTORY!!
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Best Actress
Keisha Castle-Hughes, Whale Rider
Diane Keaton, Something’s Gotta Give
Samantha Morton, In America
Charlize Theron, Monster
Naomi Watts, 21 Grams


I have only seen Mystic River from this list although I have heard some great things about Thirteen, Cold Mountain and House.
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Best Supporting Actress
Shohreh Aghdashloo, House of Sand and Fog
Patricia Clarkson, Pieces of April
Marcia Gay Harden, Mystic River
Holly Hunter, Thirteen
Renée Zellweger, Cold Mountain

- posted by Chris @ 8:33 AM

 


I finally got to see the documentary Shelter Dogs on HBO. I saw an ad about it a month or so ago and have been wanting to see it. It is a really good look behind the scenes at a dog shelter. It chronicles the activities of a shelter in upstate New York founded by Sue Sternberg. She is an opponent of no-kill shelters but also an opponent of the standard city pound policies of killing after a certain date. Instead, Sue and her staff focus on whether or not a dog has agressive tendencies to determine if a dog should be euthanized. This is a particularly moving subject to me as I faced the tough decision to "put down" a loved companion - Barney as he became increasingly aggressive to visitors and overly protective of me.

The scenes of euthanasia were almost too much to watch as the memory of Barney going limp in my arms as the shot was administered came back in a flood.



There was never a dog more dedicated to his human than Barney. I got him from a no-kill shelter and we had a good many years before his agression towards others became unmanageable.



I could take food from his mouth as our bond was that complete, but other people not only could not come close to his food, they couldn't come near me or toward the end could not even enter the house. It really wasn't his fault because I have no idea what conditions landed him in the shelter in the first place, but perhaps if they would have tested for agressiveness, I would not have to deal with the final solution. In the end though - I wouldn't trade a day of our time together.

The remaining showtimes on HBO this month are:
Mon 2/23 01:45AM HBO SIGNATURE - WEST
Tue 2/24 12:45 PM HBO SIGNATURE - EAST
Tue 2/24 03:45 PM HBO SIGNATURE - WEST

SEE THIS FILM IF YOU ARE A DOG LOVER!

PLEASE NOTE: This film contains strong content and scenes of euthanasia, and therefore may not be suitable for children. This is real world stuff and should be understood before you take a dog into your home. This is a real hard film to watch at times as the staff faces tough decisions about the life and death of cherished "family members." Again, this hits close to home as Sam is getting up in years and... well - let's just say you should have a box of kleenex handy.

Sue said it best, "It is the right of every dog to have a human that thinks the world of it."

RATING 10 out of 10

- posted by Chris @ 10:25 PM

 


I did it. I watched Bowling for Columbine. If you have heard of the film or Michael Moore, you are probably polarized on the subject. You either love Moore and BfC or you detest them. As a rule, I detest Michael Moore. His form of yellow journalism is downright dangerous and hurtful to the documentary as an art form. He really hurts his own case when he takes comments out of context to make some crazy point. The sad thing is that he makes some really good and legitimate points. He points out the problem with corporate criminals, but then tries to make some inane point about the NRA.

His own film disproves one of his major points. He blames Columbine on the NRA and the preponderance of guns in America and then travels to Canada to discover why homicide rates are so much lower there. The problem with his trip north is that Canadians have a HUGE number of guns per household and they aren't killing folks. Gross inconsistencies like this make his valid points hard to accept.

He blames a murder of a little 6yr old girl by a schoolmate in Flint, Michigan on Dick Clark! Because the mother of the child was given a job by the state at an American Bandstand restaurant instead of given welfare, it is Dick Clark's fault that her child killed another child. He never mentions the fact that the little boy had already stabbed a child earlier in the year and has since stabbed another. His mother having to work for her welfare was not what killed the girl. The mother raising the boy in a crack house littered with criminals and guns and being a crappy mother is what made the boy kill the girl.

He makes great points about the media's rampant reporting of fear combined with consumerism. He makes great points about Enron, Bush, Halliburton and Cheney. But further research reveals at dozens and dozens of misrepresentations and outright lies. Check out BfC:Documentary or Fiction

Moore then goes and acts like a moron by harassing Charleton Heston. He cut the Heston interview in such a clearly staged manner as to be reprehensible. The shots of him holding the picture of the dead girl were clearly shot after Heston was gone and he cut it together to appear that Heston had turned his back on the little girl. It was a sad piece. It is crap like that which make you want to discount everything he says.


RATING 6 out of 10

- posted by Chris @ 12:13 AM

 


I went to the RV Show at Reliant Center today with Mike to get some information on motor homes. Pennie and I have a goal right now of traveling the country full time in roughly two years. By that time, the plan is to have enough money to rely on residual income and travel full time. Our USANA businesses are growing little by little each month and should be enough to cover expenses while still building our balance sheet by that time. We want to travel the country staying as long or as short as the mood strikes in any area that interests us.

We have really just started the research into what RV we will take on those journeys, but have already got a pretty good idea of what will serve our needs. We have ruled out 5th wheels, Class C's and any sort of hybrid - which leaves us with the Class A coaches. There is a huge range of prices and options available in this class. We have seen prices ranging from about $75,000 to well over a million dollars. Right now, it seems like something in the $100,000 - $200,000 will be where we end up. Those have a good mix of comfort and functionality .

At the RV show Mike and I sat and talked to Vic & Dee Lucas for nearly an hour - they have been full-timing for right at four years and were just full of great information. I picked their brains with the questions I knew to ask and was delighted with the information volunteered by the couple. We swapped emails. I plan on keeping in touch with them as our quest for a motor coach progresses. It will be pretty cool to chart where they travel in the next couple years and hopefully hook up with them at some fun camping site in a couple years.

We looked pretty heavily at the Country Coach line.. impressive huh?




Did I mention that this entire coach and all our travels will be tax exempt? That's right - this baby is going to be a rolling tax deduction for my USANA business. What better way to spread the word about how USANA is changing peoples financial futures than by rolling around the country with residual income paying for it all?

- posted by Chris @ 9:07 PM

 
Christina Aguilera's rendition of the National Anthem at the NBA All-Star game was horrible. There was no need for the drummer with the hip-hop beat and no need for her "interpretation" of the tune. If she could read music - perhaps she could see that she was waaay off and butchered the song pretty badly.

Is it just me or is every sport's All-Star game really the worst game of the season? You never see anyone play hard - you never see any really good defense. This isn't even as entertaining as a good pickup game until the last couple minutes. This is just boring stuff.
- posted by Chris @ 7:57 PM

 


I watched an interesting if somewhat twisted movie of middle class Brits dealing with dysfunctional lives and what I would call the unbearable reality of being average. The film, All or Nothing centers around a middle-aged supermarket worker named Penny who's is dealing with her waning love for her husband Phil and the feeling of her life passing her by. The acting is superb and the characters are as real they come. Lesley Manville (Penny) and Timothy Spall (Phil) are hauntingly real. You care about these people. You feel for their sadness and desperation. You want to help them and you want them to be okay.

The story is a downer almost from the start as Writer and Director, Mike Leigh's dour outlook on life is hard to hide despite the uplifting ending. Overall, it is a great study in character development from both the acting and writing standpoints as the characters are so real, that it plays more like a documentary than a film. It would have recieved a better rating had it left me with a more uplifting message.



RATING 8 out of 10

- posted by Chris @ 12:13 AM

 


I have been super busy as of late so the blogs have been slow in coming. As of right now though, I have three computers working at the same time - editing, compiling, rendering and outputting various audio and video projects, so I have time to write while they churn away. I have also had time to watch some really good television. DOCday is my favorite television event as of late since I have such a strong love for documentaries. My previous favorite stations TLC, Discovery, History Channel etc. are becoming overrun with CRAP! Yes, Monster House, Monster Garage, Mail Call, and other 'reality' shows have replaced a large number of documentaries that used to all but makeup these networks.

Today, I saw Amargosa and was blown away. It is the story of the theatre in Death Valley Junction where for the past 33 years former New York dancer Marta Becket has performed her own ballets to a theater of mostly empty seats. When you first meet her, you instantly think, "this is a nutcase," but as you hear her story you see that while indeed she may be tilting at windmills to the rest of the world, she is the living epitome of living a dream. If you ever wanted inspiration to strip away all the day-to-day junk and pursue what really moves you - Marta Becket is it. I cannot say enough about this film.
RATING 10 out of 10

- posted by Chris @ 7:39 PM

 


Whoa - talk about your big breaks. Things have been so busy, I haven't had a second to update anything. I am sure that I will forget something from the past week or so with this post, but better some than none.

Pennie and I went to a play in Victoria with my mom last Sunday and frankly, it didn't look very good from the playbill. Boy was I wrong! The play, "A Piece of My Heart," looked at women serving in the Vietnam War. It followed 6 women as they joined (or were conned into joining) the war effor, faced multiple traumatic events, and made their return to the States with varying degrees of success. It was a moving story about an overlooked segment of that war.

The most dramatic fact to come from the play was that despite the fact that the American military accounted for each and every enermy weapon picked up during the conflict, they have no idea how many women served in Vietnam. They never bothered to count. If you have a chance to see the play - you need to.

In addition, Pennie & I went to see Michelle Brown's band, "Not Just Sunday" perform in Magnolia. Even though I knew what to expect this time, I am continually blown away by the vocals and passion that Michelle puts into her music. The band is made up of an immensely talented group of musicians that could hold their own in any venue and are generally a great bunch of guys. I enjoyed talking with (I forgot his name - I am great with faces, but bad with names) (lead guitar, keyboards, vocals.) He has the great priviledge of being able to do something he loves with his son. The son - Tony, is the drummer for the band (and pretty darn good one!) Overall, it was another fun evening.

I will post more when I think about it.
- posted by Chris @ 9:45 AM