Out and Back: Star Trek

I almost didn't bother.

That'll sound strange coming from not only the son of a Trekkie (Mom has the entire original series on VHS. VHS!) but from someone who has more friends that are into the franchise than any human being should be allowed to have.

I don't have to tell any of you out there that there's an inherent danger when you've given the keys to a franchise property. And if there's any group that's more fanatical about accuracy than comic book fans, it's Star Trek fans (Though both pale in comparison to Star Wars fans. Seriously.), and they've seen their franchise fall upon hard times (see: the last two feature films, the entire run of "Enterprise".) J.J. Abrams and company had to get this right. So when I saw the trailers, I wasn't turned off, but I was... concerned. It almost looked too - and I'm about to make up a word here because I'm not sure how else to say this - "actiony" for a Star Trek movie. But practically everyone I trust said this was worth seeing.

They were pretty much right.

In 1966, they couldn't make an original Enterprise that looks the way it does in this movie. It's a "modernized" look, but it doesn't necessarily outshine those that came after it. A move like this needs to look good, and this one does - sleek and shiny in all the right places; and dark, gritty and foreboding in all of those right places.

I don't envy Chris Pine at all. This movie with Lindsay Lohan in 2006 was his highest billing before getting the role of Kirk, and I'm not sure that ever saw the inside of a theater. So going from that to this... not exactly baby steps. But he's up to the task and plays well with everyone else in the cast, which is so important for these characters. Zachary Quinto plays the most conflicted Spock ever (they've done some playing around with Spock battling his half-human side in the movies, but that envelope's never been pushed like this), and everyone else falls into line. Also, and this is as spoilerish and I plan to get, I like when guest stars serve a purpose and don't just show up for the sake of showing up.

One thing I will say, understanding that you don't want the movie to be too long, is that now I kind of want to see a "Kirk at Starfleet Academy" series. Abrams and company did their homework and stayed true to the characters while freshening them up at the same time, so if that's on the horizon, I'll be there.

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Now playing: Our Lady Peace - Not Enough
via FoxyTunes

Back in the Building...

...Blogger we back on the map...

Sorry.

Other than being swamped at work (March is now our worst month, with the state wrestling tournament, the A-10 basketball tournament, state basketball playoffs and spring training), we've been too busy with nothing worth talking about here at TJD. Well, except for the brain overload that is Facebook, but that's another post.

And now that I've recovered from the sudden obliteration of my NCAA tournament brackets - Friday and Saturday were a bloodbath - here's what's left of my coherent thoughts on the tournament to this point:

Xavier begat Gonzaga, which begat Butler... who's next, I wonder?

Might be Dayton, actually. I had them beating West Virginia just because I thought WV was shaky and Dayton was better than their seeding. Their won-loss records also enlightened me to a new tip for next year.

Turns out that the California team that got screwed wasn't St. Mary's - it was San Diego State.

I don't remember the last time a team got knocked out of the field, then played its way back in like Maryland did. I had them dead in the water after Cleveland State upset Butler to win the Horizon, and then they make a run in the ACC tournament to get off the bubble. Kudos. (Although Grievis Vasquez will be the next Sasha Vujacic, and may actually get punched in the face.)

Pro Tip: If your best player and All-America candidate gets all of seven shots in an NCAA tournament game, you need to lose.

Villanova's not that big of a shock if you look at the big picture. They were an overlooked team - and probably rightfully so - in the Big East with Louisville, UConn and Pitt all being No. 1 at one point during the season and Syracuse's run through the Big East tourney. But they were ranked all year and they're a veteran group, with a coach that knows how to adapt to his personnel and use his team's strengths.

I Have GOT To Get Out Of This Business, Part XIII

Hearst Threatens to End San Francisco Paper

By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA

Hearst Corporation said Tuesday that it would close or sell The San Francisco Chronicle unless it could wring concessions from its unions, raising the prospect of San Francisco becoming the largest city in the country to lose its dominant newspaper.

Hearst said The Chronicle, which has daily circulation of 339,000, lost more than $50 million in 2008 and will lose more this year. It has had significant losses every year since 2001.

“Without the specific changes we are seeking across the entire Chronicle organization, we will have no choice but to quickly seek a buyer for The Chronicle or, should a buyer not be found, to shut the newspaper down,” said a statement by Frank A. Bennack Jr., Hearst’s vice chairman and chief executive, and Steven R. Swartz, president of its newspaper division. The company did not specify those changes, other than “a significant reduction in the number of its unionized and nonunion employees.”

The California Media Guild, which represents many Chronicle employees, had no immediate response to the ultimatum, which union officials said surprised them.

A Hearst executive called the statement “a warning” to the unions, and said that the company did not want to close the paper. He was granted anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for the company.

Hearst owned The San Francisco Examiner for more than a century, but the rival Chronicle became the city’s dominant paper. In 2000, Hearst bought The Chronicle for $660 million, and sold The Examiner. But it kept many Examiner workers, significantly increasing the size and cost of The Chronicle’s staff.

Since 2006, newspaper advertising revenue has plunged nationwide, and more so in California. The Chronicle has made deep cuts, signed a contract to outsource printing and explored selling its building. The Examiner, which has a much smaller staff, is now a free paper.

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Wow. If the primary paper in a city of 750,000 isn't safe...

By The Pigskin Of Our Teeth: Wings of Steel II

- Whoa, that's Brenda Warner? I haven't seen her since the last time Kurt was good. She grew her hair out and dyed it blonde and looks about 12 years younger.

- Heh. Did you see Kurt get startled and turn his head real quick when the military detail was announced?

- No way this thing starts before 6:35.

- A "Sell Avon" spot? Really? Really?

- Twelve straight coin flip wins for the NFC? Rigged.

- 6:33. Well, lost that one.

- Ward's knee looks fine to me. Hey, nice pass coverage!

- Ben's rolling out really far back. Is he gonna take it himself? DING. Hmmm. Looking at the replays I don't think he made it. And it gets overturned. Now what? Yeah, kick it.

- The "Jr." is a nice touch for this game.

- Washington catches one of those seemingly every game. Nice job by Rodgers-Cromartie to run that down.

- Doritos II: At least he survived the bus crash. The first one was better though.

- Russell's definitely in.

- Well, you knew you weren't going to hold this offense down forever.

- That's actually an interesting video package on Warner's feet getting stepped on all the time in those situations.

- You gotta be kidding me. Wait there's a flag? It's AGAINST THE CARDINALS? That's unbelievable. Harrison was down in exhaustion for about two minutes.

- They're looking at this. I don't think he steps out. You watch that, and you see he almost gets knocked down by his own guy at about the 30, then he breaks two diving tackles, almost steps out of bounds, then lands on Fitzgerald - who was about two steps behind him for half the run - in the end zone.

- WTF at Bruce's intro. "Put the chicken fingers DOWN!" Careful down there! Watch the edge of that stage! Wow, I figured they'd close with "Born to Run". This is the new one right here. And I figured they'd open with "Glory Days". I should've booked this set. Seriously. I do dig the swinging guitars at the end. This was good. Lots of energy.

- That wasn't Scorsese in a Denny's commercial, was it? Man, times are tough.

- Yeah, that's the right call. So the Cardinals get a third challenge, I believe, since they won their first two.

- I'm watching Holmes count his players on the field, and I'm wondering what happens if there are too many guys. I assume he calls a time out, but how long does it take for him to tell them why?

- And here are the Cardinals we know and love. That's two awful penalties. And there's a third? What? He ran over the holder? You gotta be kidding me! How does that even happen? Oh. The Cards are lucky the Steelers didn't get a touchdown there 'cause this game's over if they had.

- Careerbuilder.com has taken a commanding lead. That one was in danger of going on too long before they hit you with "and you sit next to this guy."

- Warner only weighs 203? That'd make him the smallest QB in the league, right?

- I'm not sure about the PI on Hood. I think the ball's there; I don't think he got there early.

- Lots of passing on this drive (because the Cardinals ran the ball in about four games this season, and they damn sure weren't doing it against this defense.) Heck of a time for a Jerheme Urban sighting. Or J.J. Arrington. Fitz has hops.

- You know who's been big in this game is Breaston. (And you know who's done almost nothing is Boldin.) And that's a bad holding penalty.

- Punting's the best move. That's too far for Rackers and the odds are against you on 4th and 20.

- The hell is Harrison doing?

- That's an odd play call, going play action there. That second burst, that forward fall, may have gotten Parker out of the end zone but I'm not sure. That's a sick catch by Holmes. Wait, what? HOLDING IN THE END ZONE! That's two points, people. Yeah, you can't take the guy down like that.

- YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME! There was a massive gap in that zone and Warner threw it right to that gap. Also, who knew Fitzgerald was that fast? Where are my canned goods?

- Why is the Steelers' fullback returning kickoffs? It wasn't a squib.

- All right, Ben. Here it is. Santonio! SANTONIOOOOOOOO. How does he get so open there? Oh, his man fell down. You know who we haven't heard much from tonight is Hines Ward. That one was too high. Holy crap. They'll be looking at this one. Oh, he's got it. He's got that.

- They at least gave that a passing glance, right? I mean, I doubt it would have mattered in the end but it'd be nice to know.

- Holmes is the MVP? I'm fine with that. I think he's scored a touchdown in every playoff game he's played in. Let me check. Yep, he sure has.

- Three of the Steelers' six Super Bowl MVPs have been wide receivers, which seems strange considering their reputation for defense and running, but those offenses, especially during the late 70's, could be explosive at times.

- I'll say mostly the same thing I said after 38: I will not call this the best Super Bowl I've ever seen - the last one Warner was in was a better overall game. And 23 (Niners-Bengals II) remains second - that last drive was art, a master at work. I'll put this in the second tier, with Elway's first win and Rams-Titans. Had it gone to overtime, maybe it's a different story.

FINAL RANKINGS:
1. Pittsburgh - Survived the crucible
2. Baltimore - Probably would've gotten the same result
3. Arizona - Can they avoid the letdown fall?

30. Kansas City - Todd Haley, come on down?
31. Cleveland - Jumping on Mangini immediately was... odd
32. Detroit - I say this every year. This time I absolutely mean it. TRADE. THE. PICK.

What's In A Name

So yeah, this is really weird and Twitterish in-my-own-head stuff but I'm putting it here anyway.

You know the the blonde bartender in the Budweiser commercials who's always extolling the virtues of Bud? (And what does she actually care which beer her patrons drink? She getting a kickback?) The ones that end with Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" playing in the background? Yeah. Well, I always called her "Christine" in my head just becuase I felt like she should have a name. I didn't think anything of it; I mean, she doesn't look more like a Christine than anything else or anything like that.

It turns out I was right.







Yeah, I'll just let that sit there, a nice bit of obscure knowledge you can take and pass on to others.

The Top 15 Of 2008

MISSING THE CUT:
Muse - "Starlight"
Cut/Copy - "Lights and Music"
Lucinda Williams - "It's a Long Way to the Top"
Leona Lewis - "Bleeding Love" (The distaff British Invasion Of 2008 started here)
Duffy - "Warwick Avenue"
Kardinal Offishal (feat. Akon) - "Dangerous"
N.E.R.D. - "Everyone Nose"

15. Flobots - "Handlebars"
My initial reaction to hearing this for the first time was "What the hell is this? Is it from 2002?" And it sure sounds like it. But there's a lot more going on here under the surface, as Jonny 5 (gotta love a Short Circuit reference) explains.

14. The Fashion - "Like Knives"
The obligatory Madden 09 soundtrack selection.

13. Airbourne - "Runnin' Wild"
There's something going on in Australia where every couple years a new band breaks out that rocks harder than the one that broke out before it. These guys aren't just the natural evolution from Jet and Wolfmother, they clearly worship at the altar of AC/DC more so than any band before them.

12. Duffy - "Mercy"
Aimee certainly isn't the first of the wave of big-voiced British soul singers. I doubt she'll be the last, and she might not even be the best. She just happens to be the latest and the cutest (unless Joss Stone's a blonde again and I missed it), and her heart isn't just on her sleeve on Rockferry, it's wrapped around it tighter than a blood pressure monitor. She could have made this year's list three times. Interestingly, with a different treatment, this becomes a country album. I'll leave the merits of that possibility to the reader.

11. Pacifika - "Sweet"
A light, breezy debut from this trio straight outta Vancouver (by way of Peru and Milwaukee). Latina magazine (Jessica Alba was on the cover. What of it?) described them as "a sexier Thievery Corporation" and I'm on board with that.

10. Staind - "Believe"
Well, they've officially crossed over to the other side. Another one of the sweeping four-minute epics that Aaron Lewis & Co. have done so well for years - and maybe the brightest in tone.

9. Coldplay - "Viva la Vida"
Speaking of sweeping epics...

8. Lupe Fiasco - "Superstar"
The hook can stand on its own. Lupe's ode to fame and... well, more fame makes sure it doesn't have to.

7. Snow Patrol - "Take Back the City"
What a find this was. This is lead singer Gary Lightbody's ode to the comeback of his home city of Belfast, Ireland. "The scars of conflict are still there, but Belfast is regenerating so rapidly."

6. R.E.M. - "Supernatural Superserious"
Man, Accelerate got overlooked. Seriously, check this out - it's their hardest-rocking effort in years.

5. Estelle (feat. Kanye West) - "American Boy"
And thus, the female British Invasion is complete. This was also the best thing Kanye did all year.

4. Gnarls Barkley - "Run"
They've done it again. It's part nursery rhyme, part cautionary tale (though what it's cautioning us against is unclear), all seizure-inducing. No, really. This was the song that MTV pulled the original video for because the visual effects might cause seizures in viewers.

3. Jay-Z - "Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)"
A future New Year's Eve party anthem in high-end clubs everywhere.

2. Weezer - "Troublemaker"
It's your typical bouncy Weezer rocker (much in the tradition of the Blue and Green albums before it) with a theme of defiance based on youthful ignorance. You have to admire a video that gets made for almost the sole purpose of breaking a bunch of records, including "Most Ridiculous Porn Mustache." (Seriously, Rivers. Kill that thing before it bites your nose off.)

1. The Hold Steady - "Sequestered in Memphis"
A crowded bar. A lonely man. An incident of mysterious circumstances. Possible beer goggles. Enough sardonic wit to kill a bull elephant at 50 yards. All done by a bunch of guys who look like your high school's A/V club. Well, they've certainly got the "A" down pat.

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Now playing: Feist - 1234 (last year's #15)
via FoxyTunes

By The Pigskin Of Our Teeth: Deja Vu All Over Again

I think I can safely say that when this is over, no matter the outcome, we'll all be saying to ourselves, "How the hell did that happen?" That was one ugly exchange all around. Donovan's making some bad throws and he's not getting a lot of help on his good throws. For example: Nice adjustment, Lewis, but you gotta catch it afterwards instead of letting it bounce off your hands. CHICANERY! Wow. Fitzgerald basically can't be stopped right now. Certainly not by a rookie safety who seems to be getting more playing time than he has all year up to this point. What's going on here is that in the first game, the Eagles were able to slow things down at the source by harassing and baiting Warner into a bunch of bad throws and picks. That hasn't happened so far today. It's not even that they're not getting to him; it's that they're not even getting close enough to mess up his timing. I haven't given Fitz the respect he deserves in this space over the years - if there's a better wide receiver out there than him right now, I want to know his name. I think the ball touches Abiamiri but after he's out of bounds, when it bounces up and hits his hip after he slides out of bounds. Oh, forget it then. Is Boldin even playing? Oh, there he is. Really? That's the first time Brown's been beaten for a touchdown all year?

Hey, a Kevin Curtis sighting! And in the meantime it's become the Brent Celek Show again. A 40-second drive? Do the Cardinals want to win this game? You know who else is having a really bad day is David Akers. Seriously, a missed field goal in a dome, a kickoff out of bounds, and now a missed PAT? The Eagles got lucky on the Jackson touchdown - that ball went right through Rodgers-Cromartie's hands. This would be such a Cardinals way to lose. Fitzgerald can't be covered with three guys. Is Whisenhunt going for it here? Wow. That almost didn't work. OK, the Cardinals aren't supposed to be able to grind their way down the field like this. Wait, how was that not pass interference? And yet... that was such a Cardinals way to beat the Eagles. From Charley Trippi to Boomer Esiason (yes, really) to Chris Jacke to MarTay Jenkins to Jake Plummer, and now to Warner and Fitzgerald. I'm not nearly as upset as I probably should be because: 1) the Cardinals have done this to us repeatedly over the years (seriously, six years after Pearl Harbor, the Cards scored 38 unanswered points in the second half against the Eagles) and 2) it was a game we probably shouldn't have been in in the first place. Still, the Cardinals? In the SUPER BOWL?! I'd recommend taking these next two weeks to get right with your Maker. Repent. REPENT! (Cardinals 32, Eagles 25)

Put the women and children to bed. In a way, I guess you could say they are in a steel cage. At least the snow's stopped. Oooh, Ward limping off is not a good sign for the Steelers. Get used to seeing a lot of Jeff Reed. The Ravens should probably think about trying to tackle Holmes or slow him down or something. McGahee just saved Flacco's ass with that block on Woodley. It's unfortunate timing for the Steelers that the Ravens started losing DBs by the truckload after Ward went out. So what are they reviewing here? Holmes caught it, but his knee hit before the ball crossed the plane. It's first and goal at the 1. Or at least it should be. Are you kidding me? Did they really just rule that incomplete? He caught it! Unbelievable. Wow, that roughing the kicker was awfully close. And upon further review, the guy didn't even touch him. Clearly a makeup from the botched Holmes call. And how do the Steelers not even get a field goal off?

It's interesting that the Ravens are still in this game given that the Steelers are basically making Flacco try to beat them. Limas Sweed is no Hines Ward, I'll tell you that. And now they're really back in it after the McGahee touchdown. Well, that was dumb. He just threw that guy to the ground. Polamalu! Well, that's that. You know, Quintin Demps' late hit on Warner was boneheaded. That unnecessary roughness penalty on the punt return (which isn't being talked about nearly as much) was catastrophically boneheaded. Congratulations, Darin Stone. You just cost your team a trip to the Super Bowl. If the Ravens are at the 40, the play-calling completely changes and they probably don't take the sack two plays later. The hit on McGahee is... borderline. It looks like Clark tries to turn at the last second to get his shoulder into the hit. That's not the first time he's hit somebody so hard that he needed a moment to recover. Yeah, this was basically what we expected. (Steelers 23, Ravens 14)