My boss: Can you send me a copy of the B&P numbers for this fiscal year? I forgot the name of the report but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.
Me: Yeah, you mean the B&P report.
11/29/2006
11/25/2006
Oh boy, was that a debacle of a game. Cal football looked as disappointing as that Aerosmith concert I went to a few weeks ago at the Shoreline. It's gonna take a miracle now for the Golden Bears to reach the Rose Bowl, but the slim hopes are still there. Otherwise, it's a matchup in San Diego with Texas or Texas A&M or Nebraska.
You won't be able to notice this by reading, but believe me, this post is gonna take awhile to write. I have just been stuffed from this week's feast of feasts. And it seems every party I went to had pumpkin cheesecake, which is like the kiss of death in my book. It's so good.
Speaking of good, good films are slowly making their way back to the cinema and at obscene prices too! Mercado's admission price is now $10.25.
Many comedic actors have tried and failed to make the transition to dramatic work, but Will Ferrell of all people might be able to make it happen when you consider his work in "Stranger than Fiction". Gone is the frat boy image he has cultivated to perfection and in comes a fairly complex character as he tries to figure out whose voice it is that is describing every facet of his life including his imminent death. It's a great film to watch.
Almost at the same level is "Casino Royale" which mixes in the old with the new. The story is old (it's from the first story by Ian Fleming), but it's been made anew to fit with the modern times including the recent editions' confusing plot lines. If you need a simple plot summary, here it is. Bond needs to win a poker game. Much has been made about the choice of the new Bond, Daniel Craig. I think he's got the action thing down, as evidenced by the Crouching Tiger-like beginning and all the other fighting involved. He still needs to work on the charm that made the other Bonds so successful. Otherwise, the franchise's move to a back-to-basics movie was a good one. Thumbs up.
"Fast Food Nation" was a great book detailing the enormous success of the fast food industry from the restaurants all the way down to meat plants. Now, in cinematic form, its story is told as a dramatization instead of a documentary (like "Super Size Me" was). As a result, the lessons may hit closer to home but I couldn't have cared less. In all honesty, I think it would've worked better as a documentary. At the very least, they could've expanded on Greg Kinnear's character as a marketing executive investigating the meat-packing plant. His role seems to be done halfway through the film while we get to follow Amber's dull story about becoming an environmentalist. The interesting but predictable storyline goes to Wilmer Valderama and his wife, the girl from Maria Full of Grace.
"Deja Vu" is one of those films where if you don't think about it, it's a pretty good crime thriller. But once you get bogged down by the science, you'll quickly see how preposterous the film becomes. The machine itself is ridiculous but even when there seems to be limitations, the writers always seem to have something to get them out of a jam and that's no fun. In the end, Denzel Washington makes the film with his cool demeanor and his ability to take a movie to the next level, no matter how bad the script is.
You won't be able to notice this by reading, but believe me, this post is gonna take awhile to write. I have just been stuffed from this week's feast of feasts. And it seems every party I went to had pumpkin cheesecake, which is like the kiss of death in my book. It's so good.
Speaking of good, good films are slowly making their way back to the cinema and at obscene prices too! Mercado's admission price is now $10.25.
Many comedic actors have tried and failed to make the transition to dramatic work, but Will Ferrell of all people might be able to make it happen when you consider his work in "Stranger than Fiction". Gone is the frat boy image he has cultivated to perfection and in comes a fairly complex character as he tries to figure out whose voice it is that is describing every facet of his life including his imminent death. It's a great film to watch.
Almost at the same level is "Casino Royale" which mixes in the old with the new. The story is old (it's from the first story by Ian Fleming), but it's been made anew to fit with the modern times including the recent editions' confusing plot lines. If you need a simple plot summary, here it is. Bond needs to win a poker game. Much has been made about the choice of the new Bond, Daniel Craig. I think he's got the action thing down, as evidenced by the Crouching Tiger-like beginning and all the other fighting involved. He still needs to work on the charm that made the other Bonds so successful. Otherwise, the franchise's move to a back-to-basics movie was a good one. Thumbs up.
"Fast Food Nation" was a great book detailing the enormous success of the fast food industry from the restaurants all the way down to meat plants. Now, in cinematic form, its story is told as a dramatization instead of a documentary (like "Super Size Me" was). As a result, the lessons may hit closer to home but I couldn't have cared less. In all honesty, I think it would've worked better as a documentary. At the very least, they could've expanded on Greg Kinnear's character as a marketing executive investigating the meat-packing plant. His role seems to be done halfway through the film while we get to follow Amber's dull story about becoming an environmentalist. The interesting but predictable storyline goes to Wilmer Valderama and his wife, the girl from Maria Full of Grace.
"Deja Vu" is one of those films where if you don't think about it, it's a pretty good crime thriller. But once you get bogged down by the science, you'll quickly see how preposterous the film becomes. The machine itself is ridiculous but even when there seems to be limitations, the writers always seem to have something to get them out of a jam and that's no fun. In the end, Denzel Washington makes the film with his cool demeanor and his ability to take a movie to the next level, no matter how bad the script is.
11/18/2006
11/07/2006
For the first time in 12 years, the Democrats have taken control of the House of Representatives and with a little bit of luck, they could regain control of the Senate, something they haven't seen since early in the Bush presidency. If all the Senate seats were up for grabs, like the House seats were, we'd be talking about a Democratic landslide tonight, but instead we're in for a long night as Senate results from Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, and Montana keep trickling in. Democrats need 3 out of 4 races to gain control, something unthinkable just a few weeks ago, especially in Virginia where Sen. George Allen expected to coast in his race for re-election. But calling somebody Macaca seemed to begin his downfall and Jim Webb took swift advantage of this and Allen's loyalty to an unpopular president.
Pertaining to the House races, Republicans liked to say that local issues will dictate how the elections would go instead of the national furor against the war. Boy were they sorely mistaken. Exit polls consistently said that people were unhappy with the war, unhappy with the president, and we need a change. As the party in power, Republicans had to have been bracing for a loss, but probably not the 30 seat loss NBC is projecting. Of course, the Mark Foley sex scandal didn't help in the final days of the campaign, especially when it looked as if the Republicans had turned a corner. However, even with this new power, it's currently unclear what the Democrats will do with it. Their campaign, as it was in 2004, was based on promising not to do things the Bush way. Democrats failed then to produce a plan of their own and as a result, failed to win the White House. This year, Democrats won with the same strategy but still haven't put forth any idea on how things will change. On Iraq, do we pull out? Can't do that. Add troops? Very unpopular. Increase Iraqi troops? Well, Bush is already doing that. On the economy, can't raise taxes. Unemployment is at 4.4%, which is pretty low. The economy is still growing, albeit slowly.
Here in California, we're immune to the national picture. In fact, we've gone against the tide. Arnold Schwarzenegger was re-elected overwhelmingly as Governor and Republicans are actually leading in a few statewide offices after suffering a Democratic sweep 4 years ago.
Finally in the city of San Jose, Chuck Reed holds his lead for mayor, and rightfully so. He seems better suited to rebuild the foundation of the city before he can hand over the reins of the office to somebody who can be a visionary.
Pertaining to the House races, Republicans liked to say that local issues will dictate how the elections would go instead of the national furor against the war. Boy were they sorely mistaken. Exit polls consistently said that people were unhappy with the war, unhappy with the president, and we need a change. As the party in power, Republicans had to have been bracing for a loss, but probably not the 30 seat loss NBC is projecting. Of course, the Mark Foley sex scandal didn't help in the final days of the campaign, especially when it looked as if the Republicans had turned a corner. However, even with this new power, it's currently unclear what the Democrats will do with it. Their campaign, as it was in 2004, was based on promising not to do things the Bush way. Democrats failed then to produce a plan of their own and as a result, failed to win the White House. This year, Democrats won with the same strategy but still haven't put forth any idea on how things will change. On Iraq, do we pull out? Can't do that. Add troops? Very unpopular. Increase Iraqi troops? Well, Bush is already doing that. On the economy, can't raise taxes. Unemployment is at 4.4%, which is pretty low. The economy is still growing, albeit slowly.
Here in California, we're immune to the national picture. In fact, we've gone against the tide. Arnold Schwarzenegger was re-elected overwhelmingly as Governor and Republicans are actually leading in a few statewide offices after suffering a Democratic sweep 4 years ago.
Finally in the city of San Jose, Chuck Reed holds his lead for mayor, and rightfully so. He seems better suited to rebuild the foundation of the city before he can hand over the reins of the office to somebody who can be a visionary.
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