"Glee" - I Don't Get It

I'm trying to latch onto the "Glee" phenomenon, but I just don't quite get all the hype. I've watched the show the past two weeks to see what all the fuss is about. Last night's show revolved around Madonna songs. Lots of musical numbers and reworking of some of the videos, like "Vogue." All well done, I guess, but overall, I didn't find the show all that enjoyable.

Maybe I was expecting a riff on High School Musical. However, when you have two teenage couples rolling around on the bed singing "Like a Virgin," then we've deviated just a tiny bit from the family-friendly confines of those movies (I guess maybe I should have known going in that Glee was more adult oriented).

For all the "Gleeks" out there, more power to ya. Maybe I'll give the show another chance, but it just ain't clicking with me.

Getting Cultured

Last night I attended the senior piano recital of Tinatin Saralidze, who is part of IU South Bend's Toradze Piano Studio, which features world class piano players. Now, why would I be doing that? Actually, Tinatin (who goes by Tika) is one of my student workers. She is from Georgia, the former Soviet Republic. International students are very much restricted on how they can work when attending college here and are limited to on-campus employment, so I tend to hire quite a few of them (Tika is actually my third Georgian piano player who has worked for me).

When she asked if I could attend the recital, I asked her what she was playing. She said Beethoven's 7th. Now why did I ask that? What do I know about classical piano? What was I going to say, "Yeah, that's a good one. I'll be curious how you play the moderato section in the middle. Oh, you're playing it in D Major? That will really bring out the nuances in what I believe was one of Beethoven's best compositions."

This was her senior recital, as she will be graduating and then headed off to Chicago for graduate school. She, along with all the international student workers I've hired, are great workers and I enjoy getting to know them. As for the recital, I was only able to stay for the first of two pieces (which still ran about 20 minutes as it had 4 different movements). I thought she did a very good job. Kind of amazing that they have to play such complicated compositions totally by memory.

Fortunately, no one put a Pez dispenser on my lap.

. . . And You Think Butler Came So Close!

Check out this video of the Women's Final 4. Xavier v. Stanford, with the winner going to the finals. A choke for the ages by a Xavier player who will forever be replaying this game in her mind:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR3OyP8f8Fc

Cell Phone Problems

My phone has been giving me a lot of trouble. I dropped it a few months back and a piece of it broke off, so I had to tape it back together. It often shuts off automatically, which isn't exactly convenient.

So, Dorene went to the AT&T store to see what they could do. After much back and forth and haggling over early upgrades, etc., it finally came to an equitable resolution, as Dorene is quite the negotiator. She now will be getting a brand new phone and I'll be using her old one.

Let's see now, MY phone was broken, so SHE gets the new one and I'm using the old one. Hmm, did I miss something here?

Allie's First Easter Egg Hunt

We had an Easter egg hunt on Saturday morning at our church. Lots of neighborhood kids showed up. Allie caught on pretty quick to the whole routine.

Bored at the Oscars

Last night I went to my annual Oscar party with a bunch of other movie geeks (that is, those that can accurately name, and have seen, most or all 10 Best Picture nominees, can describe why a movie's cinematography or art direction is best, and have actually seen some of the movies in the obscure categories). This was an off-year for me, as I only saw a handful of the nominees. As for the Oscar telecast:

• All agreed it was probably the worst show in years. Long, boring, slow-paced, lethargic. Just not an exciting show.
• However, I thought Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin did a very good job. They were pretty funny, but seemed to disappear for long stretches. Could've used more of them.
• Where was Jack Nicholson?
• We were all laughing wildly at the "interpretive dance" number. When you got guys break-dancing to The Hurt Locker, something's amiss. Kinda conjured up the infamous Rob Lowe-Snow White debacle.
• Ben Stiller and Tina Fey/Robert Downey, Jr. were the only presenters who seemed to enjoy themselves. Everyone else was pretty blah.
• Okay, why a montage of horror movies? Ah yes, trying to woo the Twilight crowd, thus the presence of Taylor Lautner and Kristin Stewart. Awards shows are not popular like they used to be, and I guarantee you the younger demographic won't be tuning in anytime soon to watch this show.
• Of course, if you are going to woo the younger crowd, giving the top award to the lowest money maker in Best Picture history isn't a good place to start.
• Nice tribute to John Hughes. Makes me want to revisit Breakfast Club, Ferris Buehler, etc.
• The whole thing where they have people giving tributes to the Best Actor/Actress nominees is too much. Hey folks, they ain't up for a Nobel Peace prize!
• Best Director should have been James Cameron. He took something from scratch and made a billion dollars and transformed the way movies will probably be made in the future. Nothing against Kathryn Bigelow, but her achievement just doesn't compare.
• However, I must say that The Hurt Locker was very good and I highly, highly recommend it. Certainly one of the best movies I saw last year. A very tense movie, not very relaxing. It especially does a good job showing how tough it is for our troops to know who is friend or foe (makes you appreciate how well trained our troops are not to fire indiscriminately at every perceived threat). It is very suspenseful all the way through. But shouldn't a movie that wins Best Picture be seen by more than just a handful? It's budget was $11 million and it made about $13.5 million.
• No performances of the original songs. Too bad. Can you believe one of the highlights would have been a duet with Jeff Bridges and Colin Ferrel? I saw Crazy Heart and really liked it, with one of the highlights being a duet with those two. But then again, hearing all the songs would have meant also hearing from Randy Newman.
• Without Bush in office, no political jabs. I guess suddenly everyone in Hollywood, including Sean Penn, likes the war in Iraq after all.
• Overlooked movie: Invictus. I don't understand the rules of rugby, even after seeing the movie, but a great story of how Nelson Mandela used the all-white South African rugby team to unite the country.
• Sandra Bullock, excellent acceptance speech and great sense of humor.
• Monique, dial it down a notch, you didn't win a Nobel Peace Prize (okay, I already used that line).
• Jeff Bridges, you said "man" a lot.
• What's the matter Barbara Streisand? Ticked off you didn't win with Yentl?

I didn't win the pool again. I basically win every 6 years and am not due until 2013. My picks were pretty lousy. So much for the Oscar movies, time to switch gears and look forward to Iron Man 2.

Last Ticket to Avatar

Last night I became probably the final remaining person on the planet to see Avatar. This was the last week it was playing, so I wanted to see it before the Oscars on Sunday since it is up for multiple awards.

I wasn't sure what to expect, since I was seeing the movie 2 1/2 months after its release and long after the hype and a gazillion articles had been written about it and it had become the #1 movie of all time. So, I guess my expectations were rather low.

But I was very impressed and loved the movie. For being nearly 3 hours, it never slowed and I thought the storyline (criticized as being weak) was just fine. Then the technical aspects of the movie were truly astounding. Much better use of CGI than Lucas did in his newer Star Wars movies. The 3-D effect was not gimmicky. There were maybe only a couple shots where something comes right at you (which is typically what 3-D movies go after). Instead, there was just an amazing depth and clarity to all the scenes. I often looked out over the top of the 3-D glasses to see the difference and it was huge. If you saw this movie in 2-D, then you really didn't see it as was intended, because you missed out on what James Cameron had been perfecting for the past 14 years.

This movie and The Hurt Locker are supposed to be the top contenders for Best Picture. I thought The Hurt Locker was very good, but which of these two movies will stand the test of time? No contest, there. Cameron shouted out he was "King of the World" when we won for Titanic a while back, and he may get to do that again.

Sending My Taxes to Fresno

Today I mailed my completed tax forms to the IRS in Indianapolis for my state return and to Fresno, California for my federal return (that's the mailing label I was provided). Wait a minute. Fresno? Not a city that probably many people know about, but seeing as I grew up in California's San Joaquin Valley, I know exactly where it is. So, here are my Fresno memories:

• We actually lived 60 miles south of Fresno in a little town called Pixley. Don't even try and tell me you know where that is. Compared to Pixley, traveling to Fresno was going to the BIG city.
• Fresno is the raisin capitol of the world. In the 3rd grade, we took a field trip to the Sunmaid raisin factory. At the end of the tour, you get a box of raisins. In the 5th grade, we toured the olive factory in Lindsay, California and you got to sample olives. I much preferred touring the Hershey chocolate factory as a kid.
• We traveled to Fresno a lot because they had a big Christian bookstore that my dad liked to go to. They also had a nice big mall.
• Not nearly as popular as the Ft. Wayne Komets, but we occasionally ventured out to see the Fresno Falcons hockey team.
• I really got into Fresno State University basketball in the early 80's. They had a good team and went all the way and won . . . .the NIT tournament. Hey, it was still exciting for that part of the country. Go Bulldogs!
• In the early 80's, Fresno was named the worst city in the country, and there was a mini-series called "Fresno."
• All the t.v. stations we got were based in Fresno. I remember once while on spring break with a college friend in Flint, Michigan, we turned on the news and there was a former sports anchor from Fresno. Hmm, went from Fresno to Flint (which also at one time was named worst city in the country).
• Nothing much exciting happened around Fresno, except for one time in the neighboring city of Chowchilla in 1976. A school bus full of kids were kidnapped and buried underground in a semi-trailer. That was one of the first 24/7 news stories I remember following. It turned out good, as all the kids were rescued, but everyone was riveted waiting to hear news, because nothing like that had ever happened anywhere.

Take good care of my tax forms, Fresno. Send me a refund, but you can hold the raisins.

Working the ACT

IU South Bend is a testing site for the ACT, so many Saturdays I am on campus administering one of these exams because I'm the site coordinator. This past Saturday, I gave the ACT Explore, which is a pre-ACT exam designed for elementary age students.

It's a pretty easy gig. I just need to arrange the rooms and other workers, and make sure all materials are held in confidence and returned immediately. Students are always easygoing and follow the rules. Even though the verbal instructions ask if anyone has any questions, I don't think anyone's ever asked a question in the 15+ years I've been doing this.

Of course, I wasn't at the ACT Explore exam in January, when one of the elementary age kids did have questions/suggestions. It was after the break and the adminstrator asked if there were any questions. This 5th grader pipes up, "Yes, how about if we go around the room and have everyone introduce themselves." So, they did that. Then, the same kid asks "How about if we find out what everyone wants to be when they grow up?" So, they did that too.

Oh yeah, why wasn't I at this particular exam? Well, I was playing the role of the parent this time around and as such, wasn't allowed to be an administrator. So, yes, that was Anna in the testing room getting everyone to introduce themselves and disclose their future ambitions (my colleague said, "your daughter is a real trip"). If you don't know my daughter, let me tell you that is pretty much par for the course. Put her in a group, and she's already getting them organized.

Oh Yeah, the Olympics Begin Tonight

I had kinda forgotten this was a winter olympics year, and with them being held in Vancouver, we'll likely see a majority of events live. I don't really know who our prospects are, except for Apollo Ohno and basically all of our snowboarders, who I don't know by name, except for Lindsay Jacob-Ellis, who tried to show off 4 years ago at the finish line, fell down, and finished with a silver.

I'm not familiar with our figure skaters, but that will soon change because coverage of that event goes 24/7 once the games begin. I'll still tune it at times. I especially like some of the skiiing, such as the men's downhill (one of my earliest Olympic memories is Franz Klammer winning it in wild fashion back in 1976). The luge and tobaggon can be fun to watch, and also the ski jumping. Speed skating is kind of boring, and hockey just doesn't cut it anymore since 1980 when our true amateurs beat the Russians.

Well, That Stunk!

Thought we had the makings of a Super Bowl blowout after the first quarter, but the Colts really let this one get away. I thought the Colts lost this one in the final minute of the first half. When they stopped the Saints at 4th and goal, that was huge. But then they went all conservative and went 3 and out, giving the Saints time to get a field goal and swing the momentum back their way. I think that gave the coach more confidence to go for the onside kick to start the half, which was a huge gamble that paid off.

Did Drew Brees have an incomplete pass in the second half? He just totally picked apart the Colts pass defense. Manning couldn't get anything going either, only tried the long ball a couple times. He then had his Brett Favre moment at the end with that horrendous interception for a touchdown. They just couldn't get things to click the second half, but the Saints were totally unstoppable. But it didn't help as it seemed the Colts really never let their offense loose. Way too conservative play calling on the part of the coach.

As for the other part of the game:

• In the group I was with, everyone laughed the most at the Dorito's commercial where the dog puts the shock collar on the guy at the park bench. That was good.
• The "casual Friday" commercial was also pretty good.
• A good chunk of the commercials were pretty lame. How many did Budweiser have? They sure had a bunch.
• So, what was all the big deal over the Tim Tebow ad? That was much ado about nothing. Unless you knew the story behind the ad, you probably had know idea what it was even about.
• I wish Danica Patrick wouldn't attach herself to the risque Go Daddy commercials. That's when we always have to distract our kids.
• I'd say the halftime show with The Who was possibly the worst show in quite a while. I wasn't sure Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend were going to make it through their set. Just not a whole lot of energy.

So, another successful season for the Colts. They've won more games than any other team over the last 10 years. That should be commended. However, in that same span, Tom Brady has won 3 Super Bowls and Ben Roethlesberger has won 2.

Oscar Nominations

This year, a total of 10 movies were nominated for Best Picture. I've seen two of the nominees thus far, so I'll need to get busy in time for the Oscars on March 7. The nominees are:

• Avatar - I'm the only one on the planet who hasn't seen it yet.
• The Hurt Locker - However, very few on the planet saw this, as it made less than Avatar made in one hour, but it's supposed to be very good. The director, Kathryn Bigelow, used to be married to James Cameron, director of Avatar. Can you imagine if she beats him out, since his movie has made so much money?
• Precious - I don't care if I see this one, no matter how tastefully it deals with incest.
• Up in the Air - Not a single person I've talked to has really liked this movie.
• The Blindside - On the other hand, every single person I've talked to has really liked this movie; I'll try and check it out; heard Sandra Bullock is especially good.
• Inglourious Basterds - I did see this one and it was sort of odd; not the action movie you may be expecting, but lots of long dialogue scenes with quick bursts of violence, and it rewrites the ending of WWII. Not a boring movie, but not one I'd consider great, either.
• Up - Pixar can do no wrong.
• District 9 - Cool sci-fi film from South Africa; very well done, I liked it a lot.
• An Education - Please raise your hand if you've heard of this movie.
• A Serious Man - Again, please raise your hand if you've heard of this movie.

"Simon," Our Low-Tech Content Blocker

Who Dat Next to Freddie Simpson?

Okay, so who exactly is Freddie Simpson? Well, he's the President of the Rail Teamsters Union, which is part of the national union run by James Hoffa.

He is also Dorene's uncle, who we see when we are down in Kentucky for family reunions (and being a supportive member of the extended family, I still have a Hoffa/Simpson bumper sticker on my car when he ran for union president back in 2006).

Now I know when I think Teamsters, I tend to think of the old rough and tumble days with Jimmy Hoffa, bodies buried in the end zone at Giants Stadium, that sort of thing. But I've met "Uncle Freddie" several times and he is the nicest guy you'd ever meet. Very laid back, soft spoken. I imagine to rise to the top of a union you have to be fairly forceful, but then again, maybe nice guys do indeed finish first. I've always been very impressed with him.

Recently, Dorene's parents visited her grandmother, who is in her 90's and in a nursing home, and showed her the above picture. Now, of course, her mind sometimes isn't like it used to be and she kept asking, "Who is that standing next to Freddie?" They told her it was the President, then a few minutes later, she again asked who that was standing next to Freddie. She asked the same question a couple more times while they were there, just not sure who that man was standing next to her son.

So, sorry about that Mr. President, but for this old lady in Kentucky, you're not the celebrity in the picture.

A Note to the Colts and Coach Caldwell

Just remember, that back in December when you rolled over and quit against the Jets, that game, had you won it, not only would have given you the run at history, but also would have eliminated the Jets from the playoffs.

Now the Jets are back and playing like they have nothing to lose, and so far they haven't. The Colts are favored, but so were the Chargers and Bengals in the playoffs. The Jets owe you big time if they win tomorrow, and you'll have one long off-season explaining this one away.

Jay v. Conan

Well, this got kinda interesting. Looks like NBC's experiment didn't work out so well. Conan's last show will be on Friday, then Jay returns to the Tonight Show spot on March 1 as NBC abandons the Leno show at 10:00 p.m. Meanwhile, Conan can't do anything until September, due to his contract. But don't shed too many tears, he's getting something like $40 million to walk away.

I didn't think Leno's show was THAT bad, but I also have to admit I haven't watched a single episode since his first. It seemed lacking some of the energy of his older show, but I still thought it would turn out okay. As for Conan, I watched his Tonight Show #1 and that was it. Maybe I'll watch his last one Friday night, or maybe not.

Either way, they both ain't no Johnny.

Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

That would be the Democratic party this morning. In what surely has to go down as one of the most botched campaigns in history, the Democrats lose a seat that belonged to the legendary Ted Kennedy, with his signature issue, health care reform, as a central issue in the campaign.

It's typically no surprise when one party has complete control in Washington and screws it up. Democrats did it when Clinton first took office, Republicans did it when Bush was in office. But I have to say I figured it was going to be a long, long time before Republicans made any kind of inroads to returning to power (even the GOP victories in Virginia and New Jersey last fall were sort of written off). Had you said just a few months ago a Republican would win Kennedy's seat, you'd gotten laughed off the stage.

Problem is, I think Martha Coakley believed that too, in addition to the fact she'd be the first woman senator from the state. I watched MSNBC last night (we recently downgraded our Dish Network package and that's the only news channel we get). Even the trifecta of Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow and Keith Olberman weren't putting any positive spins on this one. None of the pundits they brought on were saying, "Hey, the night is early, let's wait until all the returns are in." Essentially, the blame game was on, but this time no one could blame Bush or a vast right wing conspiracy. It was a poorly run campaign, pure and simple (and even Matthews and Maddow couldn't say anything bad about Brown, who they admitted ran a masterful campaign).
The Democrats were blindsided by this one, and it was too little too late when they tried to rally at the end. From what I heard, Coakley took the holidays off while Brown campaigned hard. Probably made the difference.

As for health care reform? If it all comes down to whether the Democrats have 60 votes, then it's probably not a good idea. I certainly agree we need some major fixes in health care. We recently had our baby daughter in the hospital. Had we not had insurance, then the bill would have sunk us. Something certainly has to be done here, but who knows what'll happen now.

One thing that will happen is that the Democrats have re-energized the Republican party in a huge way. Not a good move on their part. Suddenly, the 2010 mid-term elections are going to turn into a real dogfight.

The Cardiac Cardinals

Wow, what a game! That was the single most nerve-wracking game I've ever watched. I really thought the Cardinals had a choke for the ages, but they pulled it out by the ridiculous score of 51-45. When Neil Rakers missed that short field game as time expired, I figured the Packers would march right down and score (which both teams were doing because neither defense could stop the other). Green Bay gets the ball, then they rush Aaron Rodgers and before you know it, the Cardinals defensive end has the ball and is waltzing into the end zone. Game over. What an incredible finish.

On to New Orleans . . .

Our Manger Scene

Here is the manger scene we set out for Christmas every year. This has been in the family a very long time, I'm not sure when my parents purchased it, but I remember being very little and playing with the sheep and camels.

The stable we had to replace and the figurines of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus are replacements, but all the others are still original. I would have to say it's about 40 years old.

I'm not sure who had it last, but when I heard it was in a box somewhere, I snatched it up. Now, my kids get to help set it up as I did way back when.

You Gotta Be Kidding Me!!!

We were in Kentucky over the weekend with my in-laws. When I say Kentucky, I mean in a remote area with no t.v. or internet access. Thus, I heard no news. On the way home today at a restaurant, I happened to see a sports wrap-up show (with no volume) and noticed the Colts lost. Yikes, I was afraid that might happen, because the Jets are a good team and had to win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

But when I got home, I decided to get the scoop and find out what happened, and I am totally aghast at the coach. A chance for history and they don't even make a feeble attempt at capturing it? Why did Manning not go back in when the Colts lost the lead? I didn't see the game, but I imagine Colts fans all over were screaming at their t.v. to put Manning back in.

So, the Colts are in the playoffs and have home field advantage throughout. Yeah, whatever. You know, it's going to be kinda hard to get totally excited about them in the playoffs. They could win the Super Bowl but there's always going to be a big "What If . . ." hanging over the season. They had a chance to be one of the all time great teams. A loss to the Jets would have been disappointing, but to lose in the fashion they did just really casts a pall on the entire season, no matter how it ends up.

As for the coaching decision, it only gets worse the more you read. I read a column by Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star. He made the following observations about games earlier this season:

The Colts led Arizona 31-10 in the fourth quarter. Manning was behind center the entire game.

The Colts led Seattle 31-3 with eight minutes left. Manning was in there until the bitter end.

The Colts led at Tennessee 31-9 with five minutes remaining. Manning was in there, as usual.

Same with the game in St. Louis. Complete blowout. Manning was behind center in the fourth quarter.

Yeah, I'll stop now because this is going to keep me ticked off for a while.