Yay! Christmas!

Here's what I got for Christmas:

1. electric razor

2. Nintendo Gamecube

3. DVD

4. Carrie Underwood album

5. various clothing

What'd you get?

impulse Christmas

I just got back from Birmingham, AL last night. Some friends of mine at Student Life invited me to participate in some video making for youth camp. It was a blast, and just what I needed. We had fun.

I know a person shouldn't impulse buy things this close to Christmas. (especially useless stuff!!) But, earlier I bought the Garfield Holiday Celebrations DVD. So, if anyone got me that for Christmas, I apologize! But, it's one of my favs of all time!!!!

I also finished up my Christmas shopping. It's never what I want it to be. But, I guess my gifts will be acceptable. There's nothing like celebrating the birth of our Savior by buying each other 80's movies on DVD.

Christmas time

Well, kids, Christmas is one week away. It is hard to believe the last two months have gone by so fast. My stint at my retail store may soon be over! And, with family holiday plans being in shambles, it's none too soon. I'll be glad to be done with that place.

That being said, I reflect on the meaning of Christmas. It's tough to continually push myself to make this a Christmas about giving. In a bitter world of complainers, it's hard to be the one who is optimistic. It's easy to see the 1000 reasons to be dissatisfied, without noticing the things that make it wonderful.

But, don't get me wrong. This blog entry is not a sermon by any means. I'm just trying to make it a Christmas of giving. And, that's a lot easier said than done.

sick day

I was driving to work today, up the redneck interstate. I began to feel a queasy spasm in my abdomen. The chinese I ate earlier? Probably. The weight of my job? That, too.

I pulled over on an interstate exit, and pulled out my cell phone. I dialed my retail store of employment, and asked for the manager. I explained, simply, that I felt sick and didn't think I could work today. I felt somewhat guilty, but also resolved about not working. Was I just flaking out? Partially. But, I was also searching myself. I do that a lot lately. She was understanding and kind about it, and told me to feel better soon.

Now, I sit in my house, tired. Tired, but relaxed. I feel better, like a kid who stayed home from school. I've been putting too much pressure on myself to meet the expectations of others. I think that's my biggest problem. Sometimes it's hard to just be you. So often I allow outer forces to push me around. Well, not today. And, if I'm lucky, not any other day. Too much exhaustion makes Jack a dull boy.

hilarious schlock: 2005

Well, another surreal year of pop culture is coming to a close. And, wow, has the mediocrity hit a whole new high.

We saw Michael Jackson dancing like an idiot atop an SUV, while being charged for serving up Jesus Juice to the kiddies. How did he get aquitted? That weird white-haired guy must be a good lawyer after all. A really, really good lawyer. I guess Michael's ending up the year prancing around Switzerland or some place, having snowball fights and eating chocolate with midgets and whatnot.

Thankfully, Ben Aff-FLOP didn't churn out any more unbearable schlock because of his new baby. Guess we'll have to wait til next year for "Daredevil 2", or "Christmas with the Kranks 2." Hm. Can't wait.

While we're on the subject, Ben's old buddy Matt ain't doin' so hot, either. I don't care what anybody says. The last couple years have been rough. Brothers Grimm? Seriously. He must've taken advice from Aff-FLOP about that film choice. And, "Bourne Supremecy"? It would've been better if it hadn't been filmed with a home video camera. Would it have killed them to give Damon's character some dialouge? It should've been called Bourne Stupidity. Or, Bored Supremecy. And this new oil movie? I'd rather watch a movie about carburetors, or something.

Rappers have been about their usual business: being platinum, and telling us all about it. Ok, we get it. You make a great deal of money. Yeah, we know. You own guns.

George Lucas presented us with the last Star Wars ever! At least, until they make the next one. The dialouge still sounds like it was written by an 8th grader for a class project, but at least it was the best one of the new ones.

And, we get to end the year with a new Jim Carrey flop, and a bizarre Peter Jackson King Kong. I liked it better the first time, when it was called...well, King Kong.

Once again, Hollywood has proven they have little or nothing to offer except the same old schlock in new packaging. And, even the packaging isn't that new anymore.

It's a Wonderful Life

Well, it seems like poor George Bailey can't quite get out of Bedford Falls. He knows he's too good for this little town, and he has big plans and a bright future. He wants to move to New York and design expansive city buildings, and make millions. He's bright, ambitious, and everyone in the town knows he's going places.

But, he just can't seem to break free of his Bedford Falls roots. Just before he leaves for college, his father falls ill and dies. The poor people of the town desperately beg 'ol George to salvage his daddy's broke "building and loan" business. Reluctantly, George helps them out, and gets mired in the local politics.

A few years later, he's still stuck in the same old mediocre town. The same poor people live there, and he's still running the same broken down building and loan. Meanwhile, his friends have moved on to bigger and better things. Their lives are progressing, and some of them are making lots of money. George's younger brother, having fought in the war, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, and met the President.

Mean old Mr. Potter is out to get George Bailey, because the Bailey Building and Loan is the only entity left in town that he doesn't run. He's a cruel old man with lots, and lots, and lots of old money.

Mr. Potter gains the opportunity to steal 8000 dollars from George's savings and loan, and he does. He stops at nothing to scrape together every penny for himself. This puts George in a terrible position. Groveling, like a begger, he desperately attempts to hold the savings and loan together that his father held so dearly.

Reaching the breaking point, and knowing he will probably go to jail, he realizes that his life insurance policy is worth more to his family if he's dead. He's living in a shack, with mouths he can't feed. He stands at the edge of a bridge, on a cold dark Christmas eve, fully prepared to end it all.

Then, Clarence the angel shows up. He shows George how much good he has brought to the town. And, he explains that it is ridiculous to end your life over a matter of 8000 measly dollars. (worth more in 1946). George sees the terrible reality that would've existed if he'd never been born. His younger brother would've drown, because George wasn't there to save him. George's wife would grow up cold and alone. His old boss goes to jail. The list goes on and on.

George re-enters reality, with new fervor for his life. The townspeople, in a Christmas eve scramble to save the building and loan, raise thousands and thousands of dollars. One of George's old friends sends $25,000. The love of the town is overwhelming, and George learns and important lesson. If a man has friends, he can not be a failure. His friends and family make him the richest man in Bedford Falls.

links

Check out some of the links on this blog. I've put links to things I think are interesting, and/or things I am personally connected with.

Also, browse the blog links as well. My friends write fascinating blogs! And, don't forget to check out my movie review blog, which is brand new!

Dempseys

Last night I went to see a musical group called The Dempseys. I was reluctant at first, but it turned out to be fairly interesting. Of course, they must have been charged up on Red Bull, because they played two hours without stopping. I don't know how they did it, but I couldn't stay focused for that long.

They were kind of like a cartoon rockabilly band, playing an endless string of cover songs. At first, I found their energy infectious and endearing, until I finally couldn't take it anymore. (After almost 2 solid hours of standing up.) They are certainly full of humor and whacky antics. It was definitely different.

I reviewed Broken Flowers on my movie review blog. Click here to read it! And to clear up any confusion in the last blog entry, this blog is not going anywhere! I will continue to faithfully update this one, as my own child.

new blog!

Greetings blog readers! I have finally bitten a certain bullet. I have been contemplating starting up a new movie review blog. While my personal blog is demanding (in internet terms), I decided it would be worth it to start up this new creative outlet. Here is the address:

http://evansilverscreen.blogspot.com

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Christmas stress

December 6? Can it be true? This first week of December has drifted by too fast. I have been trying to enjoy the Christmas season, in my own ways. It's so easy to get bogged down in all the commerialism that goes on around us. It's easy to grow cynical about the Christmas holiday. It's also a temptation to mourn for the lost days of childhood nostalgia (even though those childhood memories are idealized!)

The key is to approach this Christmas as a brand new opportunity. There has never been a Christmas 2005, so it's a new time. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to feel a certain way about Christmas. Just plan out things you want to do in celebration of Christmas, and don't sweat it! Get creative with your celebration ideas. Me? Well, I've got a collection of Christmas favorite movies in my Netflix queue. Home Alone, It's a Wonderful Life, and the hilariously cheesey Jingle All the Way, just to name a few. And, I blogged recently about watching the ALF Christmas special, and actually crying. Funny, and touching to cry while watching ALF.

I've also been listening to some fantastic Christmas music. You know, "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer", and whatnot. All the Bing Crosby classics, as well as Burl Ives. And, yes, The Chipmunks. But, I don't overload on Christmas music. I listen to it until the moment passes, then it's back to Busta Rhymes. (Just kidding.) But, the point is, Christmas in moderation is healthy.

And finally, whatever your family situation is this year, whatever your financial situation is, however your emotional state, just remember the most important thing: The point of this whole celebration! Don't lose touch with the roots of Christmas. It's an old, old story that dates back 2000 years. A baby, born in unlikely circumstances, with you and me on His mind. It's also about giving. Maybe a Christmas charity donation will lift your spirits, and help someone in need!

Bottom line: I'm working in retail this Christmas. That's right! And, that has the potential to kill any joy Christmas may hold for me, if I let it. That's why I have to keep a healthy perspective about Christmas, and remind myself that it has nothing to do with people fighting over Furbies.

frail body

A murky vision appeared before me. A bright, light brown desert. The wavy heat rose from the earth as I began to feel my body. I was shirtless, and was clothed in tattered pants. I didn't have any shoes, and my feet began to feel the intense heat of the desert sand.

As I stumbled wearily through the desert, the bright sandy horizon grew clearer in my vision. The blinding light of the sun scorched my skin into a red sweaty layer of leather. My wobbly legs finally gave out, and my frail body stumbled involuntarily, then crumpled to the soft ground.

The heat was painful, and my breath drew in shallowly, rhytmically, as my heart beat weakly. I wiped sweat from my brow with my bare hand. The sand beneath me was blistering hot. The pain seared through me like electricity. My throat was as dry as desert bones. I had grown accustomed to the taste of sand over the course of my listless wandering.

"Rise." A loud, solid, confident bass voice bellowed. Startled, I raised my head to see the source of the command. That's when I saw the thing.

Looming nine feet above me, this great warrior gazed down upon my frail body in disgust. Covered in tarnished silver armor, his face was shielded. His black deepset eyes stared at my pathetic limp body. I was almost too close to the brink of collapse to bother being afraid.

But I was afraid.

"I command you to rise." His voice once more blasting down at me. With adrenaline awakening within me once more, I feebly pulled myself up, feeling lightheaded and inadequate.

"What? Who are you?" My voice quivered, sounding unusually thin and powerless.

"Look before you. Survey this land." He gestured with his metallic hand toward the panoramic landscape of endless desert around me. "What do you see?"

I gasped a couple of times, choking on sand. I coughed, and thought there might be a wrong answer. Surely this giant warrior was going to kill me, and that would be the end. "I...I see a lot of nothing."

"Fool!" Blinding pain struck my head as his backhand swiftly and gracefully smashed the side of my face, sending me sprawling on my back. The world began to fade, as the agony weighed my conscience into blackness. Briefly, I passed out on the hot sand.

"Rise." The voice snapped me back to the reality of bright hot sun, and his looming warrior body. "Rise, or be destroyed." My head throbbed painfully.

I forced myself to my feet. "You answer like a simple-minded fool," he corrected. "See all that is before you. Gaze upon it, and remember the days of your childhood. This is the very place you grew up. This is the place of your youth, simpleton."

"No." I began crying. "This is not my childhood home. This terrible, wastful desert is not familiar to me. I grew up in lush gardens."

"You sicken me. You cannot recognize your own surroundings?" The great warrior reached out to me, and grabbed my arm tightly. He lifted me up toward his flat, metallic face, and pierced into my soul with those deep black eyes. "This is your childhood home. What do you remember of it?"

I offered my true memories."It was beautiful. It was serene." He was squeezing my left arm so hard, I thought it was going to crush under the pressure. "So...magical."

"You are blind by your shortsighted ignorance." Apathetically, he tossed my frail body to the ground. I landed harshly, and I curled into the fetal position. His deep voice bellowed, "You will remember that time once more. I grace you with a second chance."

"May I die?"

"NO!" He retorted, angrily. "You will live, fool!" His finger pointed accusingly at my pathetic body. "You bring this draught upon yourself. In your selfishness, you have forgotten where you are." From his shoulders, magnificent wings of reds and browns sprawled open against the blue sky. Flapping powerfully, the great warrior slowly rose into the air. Then, with three forceful beats, the warrior rose upward into the clear sky. I watched with weary eyes as his body appeared smaller and smaller as he flew higher and higher.

Then, I was alone again. My mind drifted into the memories of my childhood. They were calm, vivid memories of carefree existence among the trees of the lush green gardens. Images of brightly colored flowers, bushes, and exotic plants freely flooded my tired mind.

A dark grey cloud covered the sun, and the sweet shadow cooled my dry body. The entire sky became grey cloud. Soft, cold rain began showering down in light drops. The air grew cooler, and my breath was deeper. I watched as plants and trees grew right before my eyes, in thick undergrowth. It was the familiar garden of my childhood.

Stumbling through this newfound terrain, a cold blue body of water rested before me. I bathed my body, and drank heartily from its flowing wells. I knew this was the beginning of a new era.

The End

Alf

Some of you may remember the obscure 80's hit comedy, ALF. (ALF stands for "Alien Life Form".) I rented one of the discs of the second season, because it had the ALF Christmas Special on it. I watched it at home one morning, before I had to go to work.

Admittedly, the only reason I wanted to rent ALF was for the cheesey humor. I mean, the acting is hilariously cheesey, and some of the one-liners about eating cats, and ALF's home world Melmac are unbelievably bad. However, when I watched the Christmas Special, ladies and gentlemen, I actually cried. It was one of the most tender and heartfelt Christmas specials I've ever seen in my life.

ALF goes up to a cabin with his adopted family to spend Christmas in a cabin that Willy (the family's low budget Dad) stayed in when he was a child. ALF starts trouble when he opens all the gifts, ruins the food, and complains nonstop. Willy gets enraged and yells at ALF, telling him to leave the cabin to "take a long walk." ALF climbs into the back of a delivery truck, and ends up in a pile of toys. These toys were being delivered to needy children in a hospital. ALF gets handed out as a stuffed animal to a young girl with a terminal disease. She is a kind-hearted young girl, who discovers that ALF is a real, living creature. ALF is moved by her story, and connects with her feelings of fear and loneliness.

Later, ALF stops an elderly man from jumping off a bridge. The man's wife has died, and he does not want to continue in this cold uncaring world alone. ALF gently explains that he makes a difference in the world, and that he needs to stick around to continue his mission of helping people.

One of the reasons I love going back and watching obscure pop culture gems from the 80's is because every so often you uncover a treasure of value. I hope your Christmas season this December is filled with true giving. Remember those who have less, and who are genuinely needy. Don't turn your back on those who ask for help. As a cheesey 80's puppet has reminded me, Christmas is about love and giving, which is more blessed than receiving.

War of the Worlds

With my recent newfound delight in Netflix, and so many strange and exciting holiday films hitting theatres, I've considered starting up a movie critique blog. I've found that I thoroughly enjoy commenting and reviewing films for my friends to read. And, since I enjoy more obscure films at times, (thanks to Netflix), I would love to review them for people to read.

However, I find it trying at times to manage one blog, much less two. But, keep checking back in the near future for this new blog development.

That being said, I had the privelage of watching Steven Speilberg's brand new version of War of the Worlds last night. Unfortunately, I had to rent it through Blockbuster. But, I guess that's another blog entry entirely.

We all remember the weirdness that happened when this film came out. Tom Cruise began going insane, going crazy on Oprah and embarassing Speilberg. He got into a verbal fight with Matt Lauer on Good Morning America, or one of those morning shows. I actually got up early to watch that one. People were actually worried about Cruise's mental well-being, and everyone was asking questions about his feirce loyalty to the Scientology cult. And, Cruise was squirted in the face with a water gun at the London premiere of War of the Worlds, and handled it with surprising grace and poise. Then, who could forget the whole Katie Holmes publicity mess? I got sick of hearing about it. With Tom Cruise providing a one-man walking circus, it seemed like War of the Worlds was sabatoged and upstaged from the beginning. Even near the end of the publicity run, Steven Speilberg expressed concern for Cruise's over-the-top Scientology rants. Speilberg was hesitant to continue supporting Tom, even though WOTW was about to hit theatres.

What an introduction for a summer blockbuster. With all of that said, I don't think the movie itself got a fair shake. People were so distracted and preoccupied (and rightfully so) by all the strange things going on, most people didn't even care about War of the Worlds by the time it came out. However, when I saw it on a giant big screen Sony, the dust had long since settled with the "real life" soap opera surrounding it. So, I felt that I could fairly evaluate this film, and enjoy it for what it was.

Tom Cruise, like him or loathe him, gets a solid B- from me for his performance in this one. I don't always like him, but when the right role comes along, he's perfect. The character of Ray seems like it's almost on the outer fringes of Tom's ability at times, but the performance is delivered nicely. Dakota Fanning is good. The guy that plays Ray's son is great. I have mixed feelings about Tim Robbins in it. He plays a semi-crazy ex-cab driver who fled to the country to escape the alien attacks. Robbins' character is vaguely similar to the one he played in Mystic River, which is why I sort of feel mixed about it. Overall, he's great, though.

The story focuses on this one family unit, as the world comes under attack by aliens. There is not the same grand scope as, say, Deep Impact, or Independence Day. The characters are darker, and more personal. To me, I enjoyed that aspect of it.

The writing is fairly good. It's not weighed down with too much pointless dialouge, and there are no cheesey one-liners that often plague "end-of-the-world" films like this one.

Now, about the direction. Speilberg has created some weird ones his last few times out of the gate. Minority Report, in my opinion, is the worst Speilberg film ever. Many people didn't like A.I., but I was interested in it. With that being said, I think Speilberg sort of had something to prove to himself with War of the Worlds. (Even though he surpassed having anything to prove to the general public after E.T. !!!) I think he wanted to prove to himself that he's still culturally relevant. He wanted to prove to himself that he can still crank out giant blockbusters, with style and unique vision. In those regards, War of the Worlds is successful.

It is also beautifully filmed. Speilberg seems very specific about the type of imagery in every scene. I was taken by the colorful tones and sweeping landscapes. Also, the special effects are truly spectacular.

There are a few things that weigh this film down, however, and keep it from being a real classic. First, it lacks a feeling of being truly epic. The focus is on one family, which was the obvious intent. But, it tends to hold back the full potential. Another thing that weighs it down is the neverendingly dark tone. It could've stood a little more humor, a lighter note here and there. It was just such a downer. Personally, it wasn't too dark for my taste. But, for a mass audience, I can understand how it's a bummer. And, the ending. I won't give it away, but the way it ends had me asking, "So,...what's the point?" And, that may be the biggest flaw of this film. What's the point?

pirates

About a year ago, I had the chance to be an extra in Pirates of the Caribbean parts 2 and 3. Disney is filming both sequels at once. It would've meant being transported to the Caribbean for about six months, and very little pay. My friend and I considered this prospect very seriously. The prospect of being in these movies and being in the Caribbean was very tempting.

Ultimately, however, I made the decision to move back to Tennessee around that time. So, no extra work for me!

Today, on the radio, I heard that the cast and crew filming in the Caribbean has been attacked by actual pirates. Looters, or some kind of random thugs, have been stealing, breaking things, and threatening lives. A few actors (extras, I'm assuming) have quit and left the island for fear of their lives! I'm glad that gig didn't work out.

class is in session

Well, Thanksgiving is mere hours away. It's that wonderful time of seeing family, stuffing your face, and sinking into a deep abyss of mindless stupidity as you doze in front of the television watching football.

I gained a Bachelors degree from a quality private college institution. I've had years and years of school growing up. My intelligence may be in question, but the years of sitting in the classroom are without dispute. Yet, sadly, my knowledge of Thanksgiving history is limited. If I wrote a chapter in a History textbook about Thanksgiving, it would go as follows:

Some people in England were tired of being pushed around by the church of England. So, compounded with a general weariness and disdain for their lifestyle, they climbed aboard three ships: The Mayflower, Santa Maria, and the...uh...it'll come to me in a minute.

So, after months of sickness and hardship, they reached America. They all had hats, and buckles on their shoes. Most of their outfits were black. After fighting Native Americans (or, "Indians"), and teaching them how to scalp people, things kind of settled down.

At some vague point, the "pilgrims" had an outdoor picnic kind of thing, where they had turkey, dressing, and cranberry sauce. I think they invited some Indians.

I hope your Thanksgiving is full of joy, family togetherness, and a vague misguided ignorance about its history, just as mine will be.

Jim Henson

Jim Henson's story is one of destiny. Having an interest in television in the mid-50's, he was involved in theatre at the University of Maryland. A local NBC affiliate there invited Jim and a friend (Jane, who he later married) to perform a five minute segment on a late night news show. The show lasted for a few years, and during that time Jim crafted and experimented with the Muppets concept. He coined the term "Muppet" during those years by combining the word puppet with marionette.

As these bizarre late night puppets gained popularity, more characters were created. The Muppets world also expanded, reaching to television shows, TV special appearances (including the first season of SNL in the 70's), and eventually becoming a giant enertainment conglomerate.

There are several things that inspire me about the Muppets. First, Jim Henson genuinely added depth, emotion, and creativity to his characters. They seem to have so much life! I feel as if Kermit and Miss Piggy are real living people! Secondly, there is a true gentleness and kindness to the whole Muppet world. Jim Henson, quite deliberately, strove to create an optimistic world that reflected love, caring, and humor. Thirdly, Jim Henson's creations are totally original. He did not create these characters in order to "break in" to show biz. He was interested in television, but he was not greedy or power hungry. He did not follow a formula in creating the Muppets. It was a true artistic creation rooted in his genuine passions and imagination.

I think that's why his lovable creatures connect with so many millions of people. Jim Henson has made a big impact on the culture of the world, with pure imagination and passion. That is inspiring, and worth commemorating.

Gameboy Micro

Have you heard of the new Nintendo Gameboy micro? It's the latest from Nintendo. With Gameboy sales in somewhat of a slump lately, and with the holidays coming up, they released this little bad boy.

I played one yesterday in a video game store. I knew it was going to be small, but seriously, the thing is tiny. It's the same size as my cell phone. It could easily fit in my shirt pocket. And, the graphics and screen quality are amazing. They're only $80, which is relatively cheap for a piece of brand new video game hardware. They look like a lot of fun. They take Gameboy Advance games. Which means, you could play Super Mario Brothers 3 on it! Or, old Atari games. It's mindblowing, really.

netflix, I guess

It's a rainy day here in East Tennessee. Nothing too eventful has happened lately. At least, nothing I could articulate in my presently groggy state.

I am somewhat enjoying Netflix. If you're not familiar with it, it's video rental over the internet. After my friend Mike preached it to me for a few years, and my friend Andy gave me a free month, I finally broke down and decided to try it. So far, I am fairly satisfied. On a scale of 1-10, I guess I would give it a 7.

The upside:
1. Well-designed web site.
2. Fantastic selection.
3. Convenience of not leaving my house to go to the video rental place.
4. It's cheap (10 dollars per month).
5. I'm fighting the corporate beast. (I think we all know which video rental beast I speak of.)
6. I can brag to my friends that I have Netflix, so my social status goes up a couple of points.

The downside
1. Sometimes it takes the DVD's several days to arrive in the mail, even though it's only supposed to take one day.
2. Video renting is not as spontaneous.
3. No more weird, smelly video rental stores!!!
4. I only get one DVD at a time.
5. I often have to watch the movies at awkward or inconvenient times in order to get them back in the mail.
6. I'm wasting all my time watching pointless schlock.

Overall, though, I'm satisfied with it. Click here to see their site.

southern cuisine

Living in the south certainly has its ups and downs. There are things to love and things to loathe, like any place. One of the biggest down sides of living in the region I live in is that it is fairly boring most of the time. I have great friends and family, but staring at empty cow fields takes a toll after a while.

One of the greatest things about living in the south is the quality of food. Southern cuisine is unapologetically decadent, and sometimes over-the-top. Much southern food is also really good for you. The south has certainly come along way with technology in the last twenty years ago, what with our e-lectricity and shoes and whatnot. With cell phones and the internet, it's truly turning into a global community.

Today I was reminded of my southern roots. My parents recently joined a little Baptist church in the small town of Athens, TN. The people there are wonderful. However, they are certainly extremely southern. My parents told me the story of their experiences in their sunday school class. Before the "class" started, the members of the class sat around and "chewed the fat" for a few minutes. One older woman was telling everyone how beautiful her new shotgun was. She was telling them all about the pearl handle. No, really.

My mother also recently got a church cookbook. If you're not familiar, most churches in the south have cookbooks filled with recipes submitted from women in the church. My mom was quite impressed with the East Athens Baptist Church cookbook, until running across one entry of particular interest.

Now, I know some of you faithful blog readers are not as familiar with the south. And, in fact, you've probably already cracked up at this blog entry at some of the absurdities described in small town life. Indeed, it is a de-light. However, this one takes the cake. For you see, there is an entry in this cookbook for Baked Possum. That's the point where I may lose some of you. But, trust me, it's real. This is NOT A JOKE. It is in this cookbook, submitted by a man named Jerome.

Baked Possum

Catch a live possum. Put it in a pen for 7 days. Feed it cornmeal dough and fresh water. Kill, skin, and dress it. Wash thoroughly. Place in a roaster pan, sald and pepper thorougly inside and out. Place 7 or 8 medium-sized clean sweet potatoes around meat. Cover with roaster lid or aluminum foil, bake in oven at 350 degrees for 3 hours or until done.

Wow. Most times, I'm proud to be from Tennessee. There is a rich history here. And, the roots of American pop culture in Tennessee are amazing. There is also a lot of beautiful scenery and wonderful natural landmarks. However, when I read about baked possum, it puts things back into perspective for me!!

I want my MTV!

I am a young guy. 26 years old. I don't really feel old, and in fact I feel younger than my age most of the time. However, there are a handful of things that make me feel the perspective of my age. One of these things is MTV.

It seems like MTV used to be for all ages when it first came out. Crusty old rockers, as well as young teenagers were captivated by the new music video format. Now, when I watch some of those old early 80's videos, they're so incredibly cheesey, I can't believe they were on TV. They seemed so fun and charming. At the time, they were "edgy". And, as a kid, I used to watch MTV when I wasn't supposed to! I remember watching Michael Jackson videos when they were new! I know, it seems like an eternity ago.

Then, there was the middle school phase. This was the phase when MTV got much darker. They were showing Metallica, and grundge hit the scene. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Green Day, and a whole host of heavy metal and early 90's alternative videos ruled MTV. Late night MTV was filled with an array of low budget, and absolutely bizarre animated shows and theme shows. Not the least of which was Beavis and Butthead. Then, Dr. Dre made a little video called "G Thang", and the world was changed forever. (Or, at least pop culture changed!) Now, the gangsta rap video was mainstream. All of these developments seemes monumental to my young mind. In retrospect, it seems impossible that my parents, and my friends' parents, were pretty much completely oblivious to these giant shifts in pop culture.

I enjoyed MTV when I was in high school, somewhat. It got a bit stale to me my junior and senior years of high school. I never got into "Puff Daddy" videos, and rock never recovered from the loss of grundge.

Now, at age 26, MTV seems quite foreign to me. I mean, I enjoy "Cribs", I vaguely liked "Ozzbournes" during its prime. And now, I have to admit, I have occassionally watched (and laughed at) Laguna Beach. But, for the most part, most MTV shows are really boring to me. What was once edgy has now swelled into a worldwide corporation. There are no real shows on MTV anymore that are that bold, or dark, like the early 90's. I guess I'm just getting old.

Everyone on there looks so young. TRL, a show that screams "after school entertainment", is filled with a studio audience of fifteen year old screaming girls. And, I'm pretty sure I'm older than every VJ on there. Exit Carson Daly, enter new generation of mediocre MTV puppets. They're all fairly bland, and their clothes look more like costumes than "cool" hipster rock clothes. I don't know any of the bands on the countdown, and I rarely know any of the guests that visit the show. Truly, the MTV train has left without me in recent years.

Gone are the days of home video camera quality videos, and obscure late-night shows. Am I getting old?

eat your vegetables

I recently read a fascinating article in the latest issue of National Geographic. In the article, Dan Buettner visits three different countries, with three different communities of people who have unusually high average life spans. The communities varied from Loma Linda, California to Sardinia, Italy, and, finally, Okinawa, Japan. Three communities that are literally worlds apart, yet they each hold a longer-than-average life span.

Even though these three cultures vary greatly, there are a handful of common traits. First, emotional, physical, spiritual, and financial support from family is a common binding trait. Each community values their elders, and extended families look out for each other. They each encourage a healthy work ethic. Not too much workaholic attitude, not too much laziness. Just enough.

But what's the biggest common factor? You guessed it. In each of these three communities, the diet of their cultures is made mostly of vegetables. Each community also eats vegetables they grow themselves. And, the gardening itself provides physical exercise, mental fulfillment, and spiritual satisfaction. And, good old fashioned healthy vegetables. Here is an exerpt from the article:

"When she's not watching sumo wrestling on TV, Yasu Itoman, 100, gets her own exercise by growing onions, tomatoes, carrots, and other herbs and vegetables in her garden. They give her natural antioxidants that may help prevent cancer."

In the Adventist community of Loma Linda, Caifornia, where one community of extra-old people reside, Marge Jetton (101 years old) had this to say about her diet and long-life:

"I haven't eaten meat in 50 years, and I never eat between meals."

There is a somewhat interesting online page on the National Geographic site about this article. Hopefully it will convince you to eat your vegetables! It has certainly inspired me.

Click here to check it out.

more blog adventures

Faithful blog readers! An apology is certainly in order. I have neglected my blog for several days now. In fact, I think it has been almost two weeks since I wrote on this blog. There are several reasons for this.

I got a new job at a Super Target, and I have been working crazy hours. And, in my off time, I seem to be trying to squeeze in every amount of errand-running I can manage. And on my days off, I have successfully found other diversions from blog writing.

Another reason, and the main reason, for neglecting my blog is simply an old-fashioned lack of inspiration. Sure, several things have happened that are probably blog-worthy. I started a new job, I went to a Halloween party, I may be auditioning for a professional show, and I've gone through changes and introspective phases that are more than blog-worthy. However, I've found that my drive, and my motivation for blog writing has been dried up. It has been dried up by wrestlings with my self-esteem, and emotional confusions. Sometimes digging around the extra and distracting thoughts and feelings in order to draw out the real meaning or feeling behind something proves to be far too much work for a blog entry. But, it may be a healthy exercise nonetheless.

Since I started this blog, the idea was to relay exciting stories to my friends from afar. To that end, my blog was very successful and emotionally cathartic. But, now honesty seems to painful.
I feel like a sheep that has wandered from the flock. And, for far too long, I've been trying to find my way back. There are occurances and developments in my life that are pulling me toward that end, but in the mean time, I feel confused and discouraged. I'm sure you can relate.

A friend of mine from college once wrote a play called "Wading Through Peanut Butter." A funny name. But, also an apt description of how my own development feels most of the time.

I hope you'll forgive my frank honesty, and indulge my emotional pleas for reassurance. I don't mean to be the perpetual martyr. Or, the constant complainer. My goal is to simply be baringly honest and straightforward. But, enough. I think I've made my point.

Stay tuned for more blog adventures!

Proud to be American?

Being an American, it can be really easy to take it for granted. I'm not one for making others feel guilty. I don't think anyone should feel guilty for living in America. But, we should certainly appreciate living here.

A little while ago, I took an online test. It was the American citizenship test. I guess people who are trying to become American citizens are given various tests, and this is one. You can take it here, for fun, to see if you would pass! Sadly, I only got half of them right the first time I took it. I kind of rushed through it, though. But, these are things any clod should know.

studio city web site

Finally, Studio City has an official web site. I applaud the Chamber of Commerce for finally making one. I don't know what took so long, but I'm glad they did it. It's got a nice layout, and some great links. Also, the historical information about Studio City is of particular interest. Click here to check it out!

short attention span

I have more horror recommendations! Today is one of my favorite categories. I like to call it short attention span. These are the films that are diced up into three or four separate short stories. These are my favorite to watch, and to recommend to friends.

Short Attention Span

Creepshow 2
This little delight offers a story called "The Raft", based on a Stephen King short story of the same name. It also has a really cool story about a run-0ver hitchhiker. I also like the in-between segways of animation. Don't expect good acting, or even particularly good writing, even though Stephen King wrote one of them. But, it's still a winner. Click here.

Campfire Tales
This overlooked mid-90's gem has some really great moments. It features Ron Livingston from Office Space. It's about a group of teens who wreck their car on this woodsy back road. Then, they have to wait for help, since they're "in the middle of nowhere." So, to pass the time, they share ghost stories. There's a story about newlyweds attacked by "something" in their RV. Then, the story of a derranged internet killer. And last, the legendary ghost story of the guy who stays in a farm house overnnight. It's moderately low budget, and loads of fun. Click here.

Waxwork
This one is a little different from the other two in this category. However, I think it deserves a place in the short attention span category. It's the fantastically 80's tale about a group of college students who are invited to the grand opening of a wax museum. Of course, the wax museum party is at midnight, on a strange neighborhood street. When they show up, they are greeted by various freaks. Then, of course, the different wax exhibits prompt the different episodes of horror, including all the classics. Vampires, werewolves, and zombies await these hapless teens. Click here.

seriously scary

A couple of days ago, I made some horror recommendations under the "college crowd" category. Well, I've got some more coming your way!

Seriously Scary
This category is for those of you who enjoy watching movies that are purely for the scare factor. Maybe you like getting with your boyfriend/girlfriend, and turning out the lights with one of these terrors. Many people disagree on what really, really scares them, but these three are some of the scariest I've ever seen.

Carrie
Sissie Spacek is really great! And, freaky. She can sort of set stuff on fire with her mind. But, the weirdest and scariest part of this film is the mom. Ooh, boy, is she freaky. Scares me every time.
Click here to read more about Carrie.

The Exorcist
I declare this the single scariest film I have ever seen. In fact, I'm not even really sure why I'm recommending it. In fact, I'm never going to watch it ever again. It gave me nightmares. You have to respect what it is in order to be scared by it. I once attempted to watch it with a group of college students. So, we all got distracted with talking to each other and chit chatting. So, when really scary parts came up, no one really knew what was happening. But, trust me. It's terrifying. Click here for the official web site.

The Sentinel
This story of a young woman moving into a new apartment is a rather obscure little gem from the 70's. I'm recommending it because, even though it's not super-terrifying, it's still pretty cool. Click here to read more about it.

nature

Like an old friend, nature can embrace us. Being still and quiet in nature can remind us of what's really important. As we slow down, and truly observe our surroundings, physical changes begin to happen. We breathe deeper. Our hearts slow. We feel, hear, and see things around us in more detail. We begin to reflect. Things come to the surface in the mind that we can sort through. Overall, getting alone in nature is a healthy meditation that we should all try.

Horror recommendations

As the bewitching hour of Halloween grows near, you may already be preparing for the Hallow's Eve festivities. October is a wonderful time to celebrate the weird, obscure, freaky, and of course scary, side of life. One of the best aspects of Halloween is getting together with a group of friends to watch scary movies. Sadly, however, most people don't know the best scary movies out there. Or, even where to begin. Most people are greatly misguided by pop culture when it comes to horror films. And, most people will just watch whatever is most popular at the time. (A.K.A.-"Boogeyman", "Ring 2.") Now, these aren't necessarily bad movies. But, there is a wondrous archive of horror films out there that most people don't know or care about. So, I wanted to write this blog in dedictation to one of my favorite art forms: The horror film. And, in most cases, the 1980's horror film.

You might say I've already been doing research in this area for quite some time now. I am, by no means, an expert on horror films. But, I have seen tons of them. It sort of became a hobby of mine. There is a certain humor in laughing at bad horror, and that's the allure for me. Another allure is discovering rare and obscure treasures that you could never discover without doing some serious searching. With this research, I will attempt to guide you to the best horror films to watch this October. And, don't worry. I won't steer you wrong. There are different types of horror films you may want to watch, depending on the situation. I am only all too aware of this. I'm sensitive to the disdain the average person may hold toward horror films. But, don't worry. There's something for everyone.

Here are my top picks for this year's Halloween fright fun:

The College Crowd:
The college crowd is a category I'm creating for people who want to watch horror for the campy value. You know, they get a kick out of bad acting, low budget special effects, etc. You don't literally have to be a college student to enjoy these picks. But, "college crowd" simply describes the type of film. These tend to be a bit more crude at times. Maybe a bit more violent. So, if you're not into that, college crowd films aren't for you. However, if you want to see something different to watch with your friends, and you want a good laugh, then look no further.

Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn
Hilarious slapstick that could rival the Three Stooges. It's also a Bruce Campbell classic. Click here to read about the movie. Click here to visit Bruce Campbell's official page. Roger Ebert sums it up best in his review.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
It's important to note that I'm talking about the original TCM here. If you've seen the newer 2003 verison, please don't judge the original based on it. The original is a genuine work of art. In fact, you can click here to read a blog I wrote on it back in the summer. Click here for the rotten tomatoes TCM page.

The Lost Boys
An incredible 80's vampire flick, featuring Corey Feldam AND Corey Haim! Thoroughly entertaining, and overly "cool." It's one of my favorite 80's horror movies, and it's sure to be a hit with the "college crowd" who have never seen it. Click here to read about it.

More recommendations for Halloween coming up soon, with other categories!

best birthday ever

I think my greatest birthday celebration would have to be my 11th birthday party. Why, I remember it as if it were yesterday. (This is the part where the wavy lines take you back to 1990.)

A group of my guy friends (No icky girls) met, with my Dad, at Pizza Hut. It was a wondrously late 80's way to begin the festivities. Pizza Hut, being 80's as it is, was a wonderful post-Chucky Cheese, pre-"I don't care anymore" restaurant of perfection for young boys. It's got the atmosphere, it's got the caffeine-charged Coke. And, of course, it is the prime spot to gorge your young body on greasy pepperoni pizza. (Cowabunga, dude!) Then my Dad handed out 2 dollar bills as party favors. (Brilliant, Dad!)

After a dinner of bliss, we left the Pizza Hut and headed to the movie theater. For you see, this was no ordinary day. This was the friday that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles debuted on the big silver screen. That's right. And, we would be the first to witness its glory. Being intelligent as we were, my Dad and I had already purchased the tickets earlier that day. We purchased enough tickets for the whole rowdy goofy group of us young boys hungry to see some cinematic violence.

Upon reaching the theater, the parking lot was packed. The line at the ticket booth was unbelievable. As we strolled through the entrance, I encountered a friend of mine from school, Will. His face seemed astonished when he saw us walking past the line. "How do you already have tickets?!" He asked, amazed. I simply told him, quite proudly, that we had purchased the tickets earlier that afternoon. So, the whole horde waltzed in, unscathed by the fact that the 7:00 PM showing of TMNT was sold out.

The cinematic glee that ensued was unforgettable. The theater was already jam packed, so we couldn't all sit together. We had to seperate, in different rows. As the movie extravaganza began, I soaked it up like a dying desert wanderer slurps up a puddle of cold water. My excitement level and caffeine level reached new heights as the ninja turtles "kicked butt" onscreen.

After the movie, we headed back to my house to finish up the night with more traditional ceremony. I tore open an array of gifts. (mostly TMNT paraphernalia.) Then, we gorged our young bodies once again on sugary birthday cake.

Ah, don't we all sometimes wish times could be simpler? Those days were fantastic. Of course, being an adult is fun, too. But, random childhood memories are a de-light. As far as birthday celebrations, this one is in the top three I guess.

A great place to live

I had some friends over for dinner last night and it was great. We watched Ed Wood, and followed that with Glen or Glenda. (Ed Wood is considered by many as the "worst director of all time." I kind of agree.) We had chicken, corn, and rolls. A delicious, very hearty southern meal. We followed it up with pumpkin pie for dessert. Yummy!

I discovered this really cool web site a few years back. My friend Tim told me about it. If you've ever wondered where the best place in country to live would be, look no further. This web site provides a completely free test that evaluates your personal preferences in a town. Then, it gives you quite a comprehensive list of cities/towns based on the criteria you specify in your test answers. It's a great learning thing, and can be eye opening.

Click here for the "Find Your Spot" site.

Hurricane victims

As we all know, hurricane relief continues. And, as far as we all know, it will most likely continue for years to come. And, I also know that there are varying views and opiniong about how this crisis was handled by the government. In my low budget opinion, there are political leanings on both sides that could stand to benefit from putting political spin on the situation. One thing we almost all agree on, however, is how the government, both on local and federal levels, botched things up. I won't go into detail about my opinion about Mayors and such, but we all know what happened.

Now that some time has passed since this tragic hurricane Katrina, the relief continues for the victims who lost their homes. We all have things we can do, whether we help rebuild firsthand, or give financially to the Red Cross. Me? I was considering going on a trip to Mississippi with my alma matter college, Carson-Newman, to help out. Now, I'm reconsidering. I may not logistically be able to get all the elements together in order to go. But, I've been left with questions. How much comfort am I willing to give up for others? How much actual work am I willing to do for others? Am I not serving people, just because I'm not going on a trip? As I look out my window at this dreary rainy evening, which has been blown in by the latest hurricane, these heavy issues weigh on me.

Even if you only give a few dollars to the Red Cross, at least we can all contribute in one way or another.

Garbage Pail Kids

I, along with many other children in the 1980's, collected those disgusting little Garbage Pail Kids cards. I think they were .50 cents per pack, and contained two or four cards and a piece of gum. The cards featured creative and overtly disgusting children with odd "pun" names, and graphic depictions of their "special feature." Little did I know, as an 8 year old, that they had actually created a live action Garbage Pail Kids movie.

So, nearly twenty years later, I have caught my first glimpse of the liva action schlock. And let me tell you, it's incredible. They released this movie on DVD just this year (don't ask my why) so many people will probably see it for the first time. Or, the second time, if they saw it at some obscure time in their childhood.

As a fan of 80's schlock horror, I soaked in every scene of this low budget masterpiece with giddy enchantment. It has a lighthearted humor, and an edge of 8-year-old-boy grossness. I gawked in disbelief when the bizarre live-action Garbage Pail Kids broke into a musical number. I laughed out loud in awe of some of the hokey one-liners. Some of the visual gags stunned me with their over-the-top cheesiness. The 80's fashion of one of the movie's main characters, ("Tangerine" is her name) nearly had me rolling on the floor with laughter. And, her boyfriend and "main bully" looked a lot like Steve-O from MTV.

The low budget and clunky puppetry of the Garbage Pail Kids is almost embarassing. Yet, near the end, I caught myself actually believing that these bizarre little buggers were real. Talk about suspension of disbelief! I had to laugh at myself. Overall, this movie is an 80's B-movie joy, and you should do yourself a favor by watching it.

Click here to read about The Garbage Pail Kids movie on rotten tomatoes.

the tortured existence of an extra

When I lived in L.A., I signed up with a couple of different extra casting agencies. These companies cast extras for movies and television shows. In these situations, you pay a small upfront fee, and they add you in their databanks. They take a picture of you, driver's license style.

The main casting company is called Central Casting. When I signed with them, I was new to California. I went down on a Wednesday or Thursday morning to register. Once I finally found the place in Burbank, I was startled to find several hundred people, all shapes and sizes, waiting in a crowded room. The whole process of paper work and picture taking took a couple of hours.

More recently, I signed up with Sandy Alessi Casting. It was a much smaller boutique in a random office space in Studio City. It seemed more personable, so I reluctantly signed up. My friend and hero, Benj, talked me into it. He was quite successful with Central Casting, and he told me he heard about Sandy Alessi through the extras circuit. (Yeah, there's an extras circuit.) So, I registered with them expecting never to get extra work. Of course, they always give you the "Hollywood", "Oh, we'll call you." Of course, the idea is that you have to call them. Usually, if they call you, there's been some kind of mistake.

Two times, in the past month, Sandy Alessi Casting has called my cell phone and offered me extra work. Being in East Tennessee, I kicked myself for misssing out on cool opportunity. But, what are you gonna do? If I was in Cali, I would literally be on the set of Fast and Furious 3 right now. Weird, huh?

Of course, I can't continually beat myself up for leaving that place. With all the excitement and cool opportunity, there are equal amounts of hardship, danger, and disappointment.

lemonade stand

Looking for hours of internet fun? There's this pointless, but addictively fun game I discovered a number of years ago called Lemonade Stand. Yeah, creative name. But, you can play it for free online. Click here for it.

You get to decide how much lemon to put in each cup of lemonade, and how much ice and sugar you put in each cup. You also have to balance the price of the lemonade with the temperature. It may sound lame, but it's a fun game. And, it's a nice li'l lesson in the basics of economics.

I'm a nerd, ok?

traffic schmaffic

latraffic
Originally uploaded by ehiggin.

Upon first moving to Los Angeles, one thing that struck me was the local attitude about traffic. Most complained about it being the worst in the world, and they hated driving anywhere. True, there are a lot of cars on the road. And, I suppose some people consistently get stuck in traffic on their work commutes. I, however, never really encountered bad traffic.

Except once.

I used to work late hours at Universal, and I was sometimes exhausted in the summer schedule, getting home at 1 or 2 in the morning. On one such morning, I was not feeling particularly "up to speed." When I got home from work, I lugged my achey body upstairs to the bedroom, and took a hefty chug of nighttime cold medicine. If you know anything about nighttime cold medicine, you know that it pretty much knocks you unconscience for at least eight solid hours. So, after my medicinal dose, I laid my frail body down on my wonderful soft bed. I drifted away into a blissful drug-induced sleep, and it was beautiful.

In the early morning hours, before the world is awake, around 5:30 or 6:00, I have a vague and dream-like recollection of my roommate Doug barging into our shared bedroom. Being halfway in another deminsion, I can barely recall him frantically explaining to me that he had driven our mutual roommate, Andy, to the Burbank airport. Andy was supposed to leave that day to get home to his family for a week or so. Doug explained that they had gotten their a couple minutes late, so Andy's seat on the flight had been given away. If you're familiar with Los Angeles airport ritual, it should come as no surprise. So, in desperation, Doug asked me if I could go get Andy from the airport.

Groggily turning my cell phone on, I heard about three desperate messages from Andy, at the airport, explaining how everyone else he knew was either out of town, or at work. So, I was the only human on the earth who was available to come get him at the airport. Laying in my warm fuzzy bed, in the dark hours of the early morning, exhausted and sedated on cold medicine, I reluctantly agreed to come get him at the airport.

Dragging my bones out of the sheets, I drearily clothed myself and draped a hat over my messy head. I couldn't believe I was awake, much less driving to the airport! The Burbank airport was a good fifteen to twenty minutes away. I drove their in the cool morning air, meeting a grateful Andy at the airport pick-up place. Climbing into the hatchback, he explained that the airport explained to him that there was one chance for him to catch a flight. In two hours, a flight to Seattle was leaving,...in Orange County.

Orange County is a solid 45 minute drive, through the heart of Los Angeles morning rush hour traffic. But, out of love and devotion to my roommate, I did it. I drove there. And 45 minutes back, which actually took nearly two hours because of the traffic. I mean, it was like a parking lot driving up the 405. It could've been the 101. They were both terrible that morning.
But, Andy made his flight. We were both thankful for that.

When I got back to the apartment, I crashed happily on my bed and sank back into my slumber.

The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari

I wanted to take an opportunity to tell everyone about my friend Doug's upcoming project. It's one that I'm excited about, and it looks very interesting. Doug is excited about it.

I remember Doug telling me about this projecet repeatedly, because he knows I like campy horror. Only, this horror film is darker, and cooler than the typical 80s camp I rave about. It's called The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and it is a moderately budgeted independent film. It is a remake of a thirties horror film. ( At least, I think it's the thirties.) They used some of the original footage juxtaposed with modern imagery to create a clean, glossy, yet classic looking scenerio.

Doug plays a sideshow psychic named Cesare. You can check out the film's official web page here. It's a highly technical page, so it may take a minute to load. But, it looks really cool.

The film opens in mid-October. I'm not sure if it will hit every major cineplex, but if you keep your eyes open, you may get lucky. I wish I could've been in L.A. for the premiere, but that's just how the proverbial cookie crumbles. Apparently, this film has gotten a lot of buzz from the German independent film crowd, as well as American horror fans. It's been nominated for some Screamfest awards. i don't know if it will be good or not, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I love Doug Jones! He also has a pretty cool web page here. There is much love to go around, my friend.

Sequoyah

Yesterday I went on a therapeutic excursion with my parents to the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum. It was surprisingly educational. Sometimes my level of ignorance astounds me.

For example, did you know when Andrew Jackson ran for President, one of his policies was "Indian Removal"? Yep. He was a self-proclaimed "Indian hater." That began what became the Trail of Tears. The Native Americans were forced from their homes in Tennessee, Georgia, and a few other states in the southeast. Later, when Martin Van Buren became President, he attempted to extend the deadline for Indian Removal, to give Cherokees and others more time to relocate. The state of Georgia revolted, claiming infringement of states' rights. So, the plan continued.

Around the same vague couple of decades, Sequoyah worked hard on his Cherokee alphabet system. After about twelve years of tweaking and working, he finally had a completed system. He was nationally revered, and honored for his achievement. It was an amazing accomplishment creating the only original Native American written language. Cherokee newspapers were then published, and the Cherokees became literate in a relatively short amount of time.

But enough of my community college lecture. I thought these findings were fascinating. We walked into the museum entrance, located in Vonore, Tennessee. It was a beautiful setting, green hilly fields surrounded by trees and water. it was also a crisp day, with the first traces of autumn setting in. Some of the trees had just a twinge of color in the leaves. The museum itself was only three dollars per person, but the budget of this place was obviously very low. They had these "listening Phones", where you could push a button. Then, these little hand-held speaker phone thingys would crackle to life, and a somber-sounding narrator would tell an old Cherokee folk tale. These listening phone things were obviously early 70's era, which added to the hilarity.

After that, we went to a nearby park. It was amazing, and we walked four or five miles on a "Meadow Loop" trail, through woods, and a field. We saw several deer, and my Mom complained about the length of the trail. We were walking next to the lake, and it was so peaceful.

These are things that make me appreciate East Tennessee.

poet?

I'm not much of a "poet", if you will, but I sure give it the 'ol heave ho. So, here is a poem from my heart. I hope this can express my feelings accurately.

Roses are red,
violets are blue,
true friends are special,
and sometimes I want to run through the streets screaming and bust out a window with a brick I happen to find laying on the ground. That way, the cops will peel up in their cruisers or whatnot, and shout at me through their megaphones to drop down on the ground. Then, they'll run up on me, take me down to the ground, and cuff me while digging their knee into my back. Then, I can spend the night in jail and make one phone call to my mommy as I blubber like an idiot over the phone reciever like a 6 year old girl.
the end

smoothie heaven

Occassionally, I crave a good 'ol fashioned smoothie from Jamba Juice.

My love affair with smoothies dates back before I moved to California. I used to get them at this place called Smoothie King. They weren't bad, but at the time they had problems I didn't recognize. They were chalky, and overpriced. Smoothie King is the kind of place that's designed for muscle heads. (Imagine a Schwarzenegger-type with the I.Q. of Frankenstein walking in, "I gots to get smoothie after workout! RAAAGH!!") They have things like protein wafers and multi-vitamin cookies. These are things that do not occur in nature, so they weird me out.

Well, when I first got to L.A., I gave Jamba Juice a "whirl", if you will. To my surprise, their smoothies were cheaper, and the quality was better. Finally! I could get a strawberry-banana-cherry razzle dazzle with an extra shot of vitamins at an affordable price!

Some people got shots of wheatgrass "on the side", with their smoothies. Huh? "Shot of wheatgrass"? Since when did drinking grass become healthy? In Tennessee, I can walk out in a cow field after a light rain and get a shot of wheat grass. And, I save 3 dollars.

And, if you're not careful, your smoothie can quickly get expensive, even at Jamba Juice. With so many additives and "special features", you can tack on an extra two dollars. Of course, the up side is, you won't have to eat again for the rest of the day.

Tim Burton

I have been a Tim Burton fan for many years. Even before I pinpointed the director's work, I was a fan. It wasn't until I was thirteen or fourteen years old until I began to put the puzzle pieces together. I thought, "I love Batman. I love Edward Scissorhands. I love Beetlejuice. I love Pee Wee's Big Adventure. And now, I love The Nightmare Before Christmas. And, they were all directd by the same guy!" (Tim Burton turned directing duties over to Henry Selick on The Nightmare Before Christmas, but you get the idea.)

I saw The Nightmare Before Christmas when it first hit theatres. I remember being enchanted with the stop-motion animation visuals. At the time, the music was actually an added irritation. However, I have grown to love the music almost more than the film itself. To date, I feel it is the most distinct "Tim Burton" stylized film.

Also, one of my favorite films is Ed Wood. It amazes me that this has been so overlooked over the years. It's an oustanding cast, featuring Johnny Depp, Bill Murray, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Martin Landau. And who can forget the director/producer, Tim Burton?

This weekend, the latest Tim Burton "masterpiece" shall be unveiled! Corpse Bride has already opened in theatres in L.A. and New York. But, the world shall be exposed to this delight soon enough! The official web site is really breathtaking. Take a look here!

Early Prediction for Corpse Bride

the down side:
I have varied expectations for Corpse Bride. While I do know that I will love the style, look, and music, I think we're all familiar enough with Tim Burton's work to know what to expect. My fear is that the story itself may be a little flat.

the up side:
The trailer is breathtaking nonetheless. Burton still bursts with imaginative surprises. When you think he may take a familiar route, he spins it with enough originality to please the brain. Case in point, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Who can resist the mix of modern computer technology and the stop-motion animation of the old-skool? Not me!

Overall, I think Tim Burton will add enough original spice to Corpse Bride to make it a winner. By the same token, if he relies to heavily on old formulas, it may be too predictable and simply a rehash of his earlier work.

Click here for a cool Tim Burton web site.

Click here for the Official Corpse Bride web site.

Visit Corpse Bride here on rotten tomatoes to learn more about it!

rainbow gathering

8135-fairy-camp-circle
Originally uploaded by loupiote.

When I worked at Universal, I had the pleasure of working with a delightful young man named Travis. Once, Travis told me of a magical experience he had with a group called the Rainbow Gathering. He described it as a group of people "out in the woods" singing, playing music, dancing to tribal drums, eating, and becoming one with the universe, or something. He spent the night there at the Rainbow Gathering. Then, he hitched a ride with total strangers in a Volkswagen up to Idaho, (wish I could make this stuff up) to another Rainbow Gathering. He stayed, partied (or something), and stayed with some random person on their farm. He had to hitch a ride to a local town, and ended up hitching a ride back home, like 8 hours away.

I did some research on the Rainbow Gathering, and found that they're quite active. I can't believe I was blissfully unaware that this group existed. It seems like a story you would see on Nightline, or 20/20.

It's oddly inspiring to me that there are people in this country who don't have jobs because they travel around in the woods with groups of hippies. Sure, you can call them names if you want. "Hippie", "bum", "druggie" come to mind. Sure, these names are all completely acurate. But, it's still inspiring. I guess the hippie ways of existence are deeply romanticized, and reminiscent of a time that existed before I was born. These hippie images seem surreal, and I can't believe hippies really existed in the 60's and 70's. Woodstock has been promoted, at least in my mind, to mythical status. So, to see that people still believe in that hippie dream is inspiring. (However, the cold hard truth is that they probably just want to do drugs in the woods.) But, the idea is romantic. I mean, the hippie part, not the drugs.

Here is a fairly thorough site on the Rainbow Gathering.

a 10

Ok, so a lot of people don't know this, but I'm a model. I've been modeling for three years now, for a modeling agency called "Eyeem Laubyujett", after the French designer who owns the company. I do ads for mittens, time share resorts in Florida, and ketchup. Most of the ads run in Japan, so I'm not very big here in the states. But, I've gained quite a following over there.

Okay, none of that is true. But, you should go to a self-indulgent site called "hot or not", and rate me a 10. Why? Because of the inner beauty.

Click here and click "10". I also added a link down at the "Links" section to your left. So, you can come back to my blog and click "10" frequently. Hey, I'm shameless.

2005 Emmys

Has it really been a year? It may seem to early for me to start regurgitating old blog "material". However, one of my first blog entries was a story about working at the HBO Emmy party last year. I got hooked up with a catering company that had the lofty task of catering to all the "important" Hollywood hobnobbers at the 2004 HBO Emmy party. I rubbed shoulders (almost literally) with many of my favorite celebrities. You can ready my original blog entry on this subject by clicking here.

This year I'll be watching the festivities from many many miles away, in East Tennessee. It's strange to think I was actually there! HBO dominated the Emmys last year, with "cutting edge" (consorship free) programming. I don't really get into any of the HBO shows because they're a little "much" for me. I don't normally like my TV as intense as the Sopranos. But, to each his own.

The Emmys for this year airs tommorow night, and I'll probably tune in. I may switch back and forth between that and some other prime time schlock.

Click here for the official Emmys web site.

speak up!

Have any of you seen the movie Fever Pitch? I saw it when it first came out. I was reluctuant, of course, but it ended up being surprisingly entertaining. There's enough testosterone-fueled baseball fandom to keep most men involved. Yet, of course, there is the Drew Barrymore aspect. While being somewhat of a chick flick, it is still terrific. It came out on DVD this week, and it's worth checking out.

Otherwise, I thoroughly washed up my car today. It was filthy, and needed a good overhaul. It feels like a new car! Except, it's a new car with 180,000 miles on it.

Seen any good movies lately? Email me a movie review, and I just may post it on my site! I'm always on the lookout for other people's opinions. Heck, it doesn't even have to be movies. Music, tv shows, something that happened in the news. As long as it's a critical review format, I'll be happy to accept it. I created a new email to accept your submissions!

evansblog@bluebottle.com

walk the line

joaquin_phoenix1
Originally uploaded by ehiggin.

Joaquin Phoenix plays Johnny Cash in the upcoming November film release of Walk the Line. I've seen the trailer, which you can download for free here at trailerdownload.net. I've also seen the trailer a time or two on the big screen.

I don't want to review a movie before I've even seen it, but I just have serious doubts about it. I mean, Jamie Foxx seemed so comfortable in the skin of Ray Charles in Ray. That performance felt truly inspired. I feel like Joaquin seems a bit uncertain and uncomfortable in the skin of the Man in Black. In some scenes, I think he looks more like Bruce Campbell than Johnny Cash. And, his "Johnny" singing? I don't know. I'm just not convinced. His voice seems thin and unsure. Maybe I'll feel different when I see the entire film in context. But, I just get a feeling about it being...well, not Ray. (the obvious comparison). As for writing and directing, we'll see when this bad boy hits theatres.

A correction from the other day: The David Spade show is on Comedy Central, not VH-1. I think I saw a commercial on VH-1, and it confused my delicate and convoluted mind.

Johnny Cash on allmusic.com.

Reviews, opinions, movie info, and predictions for Walk the Line at rottentomatoes.com

adding to the noise

Congratulations To George Jones, who turns 74 years old today. I wrote a blog about him earlier this year that sums up how I feel about him, and his legacy. Click here for it.

Everyone reading this has a bit of homework to do. But, don't worry. It won't require you to "read" some boring book with no pictures. All you have to do is watch television! David Spade has a new television show premiering thursday on VH-1. Oddly, I couldn't find anything on the VH-1 site about the show. But, maybe you'll have better luck than I did browsing the site. I think the show looks like a terrific and hilarious jab at Hollywood self-promoting narcissism. For you fans of shows like "Best Week Ever", or "I Love the 80's", it will be along those lines. Only, I predict it will be better.

And, while I've got your attention: You may be expecting me to comment on the tragedy on hurricane Katrina. Well, I think the news media has pretty well covered it. Do I need to add to the white noise? Besides, I may be going down there later this month to help out with getting people food and whatnot. So, I'll definitely blog on that later, if it happens.

destiny

Lately I've been going through a crisis of identity. I've been trying to choose a career path I can live with. And, something I can be successful with in the long run.

Today I was in a store that has all manner of bizarre "knick knacks" of technology. I came across this Los Angeles guide booklet, and I couldn't resist. I had to check it out. So, I picked up the pocket sized guide and began thumbing through it. There was a fold out map of the old stomping grounds. I reminisced in my mind the memories of old as I was bombarded with those old familiar boulevard names. Then, in the "things to do" section, I stumbled across a blurb describing the Groundlings Theatre. Of all the random sites and attractions, The Groundlings Theatre was one of the few sites listed to "must see." The blurb described the Theatre as "A training ground for 'out there' comedy performers. (SNL alumni, Pee Wee Herman.)" Hm. Snl alumni. Pee Wee Herman. Hilarious. I guess "out there" describes my style pretty well. I laughed in the store, reading this, and seeing the little red square on the map where the Theatre resides. Was I really there? Or, was it all a dream? We don't know.

So, tonight I was browsing through the Groundlings web site, which is not too shabby. I saw pictures of my old Groundlings teachers in sketches. There were a couple of pics of one of my old teachers in this sketch with Chris Parnell from SNL. I kind of took a joy in that. You know, knowing that this one guy went on to be relatively platinum in the comedy world, while my putz teacher stayed behind for a number of years teaching classes, continuing to struggle. That teacher was kind of putzy. Am I a jerk or what? Maybe there's bitterness in my heart.

I also saw a big picture of Amoeba Music in the guide, one of my favorite places. All my fav museums were listed, such as The Getty, which is fantastic.

I also got an email a few days ago from a friend of mine in L.A., Doug Jones. He was describing his latest actor enterprises. Yet more traces of a former life.

What's the deal? Why do I miss that chapter in my life? It was a crazy cool adventure. In fact, this very blog you're reading, dear reader, began as my chronicles of the enchanted land of L.A. I have since drifted from that theme into other realms. For example, how boring my life now is. I still harbor bitterness for the weird turn my life has taken here in East Tennessee. I struggle to stay optimistic and continue to count my blessings. Does the grass always have to seem greener on the other side? Am I destined to dissatisfaction? I hope not.

Groundlings Theatre

Amoeba Music

wretched tree of death

Yesterday I went tubin' on the beautiful Little River in Tennessee. It was perfect weather, and I was in the mood to have a moderately intense whitewater tubing experience.

My friends and I paid our dues, grabbed our tubes, and began making our way down the river. It was a very low impact experience at first. There was nothing too treacherous about the slow drifting current. Houses were dotted along the edges, and various other people were tubing, too.

At one point, we were winding around a left curve. Off in the distance, on the right shore, a couple of teenage males were monkeying their way up a tree. Reaching the top, about twenty five or thirty feet, one guy took a flying leap off the branch. There was a good two or three second free fall before he splashed into the water. I wanted to hop out of the water and look around the platform at the bottom of the tree. So, I climbed out of the water onto land. There were wooden rungs placed all the way up the tree in an amateurish Appalachian manner. Before I could even control myself, I began climbing. The rungs were about a body length and a half apart, nailed in the middle, so it was no easy climb. Some of the steps even began turning as I stepped on the edges of them.

One of the boys at the bottom, I learned, was a sixteen year old. He was the one that had jumped out of the tree before. He also built the step ladder up the tree. He was also insane. As I reached the top, I hugged the tree for dear life. Below me, twenty or thirty feet, was the river. There were giant underwater rocks, and in the middle of them the water was black. I assumed that was the area one would jump. The sixteen year old assured me the water was fourteen feet deep. With my friends taunting me, and my nerves killing me, I made the decision to jump.

Maneuvering my body around the trunk of the tree, I stepped out bravely into the empty air. In a blur, my body plunged downward toward the black water abyss. The free fall was cold and exhilirating, and I let out an involuntary yelp as I fell helplessly. With a splash, I hit the cold water and rocketed toward the river bottom. I swam back to my tube, vowing never again to trust sixteen year olds with my well-being. I was genuinely scared, but it was also exhilirating. I escaped unscathed, and I guess that's the important thing.

spaghetti chunks

Like I have rainbows. Scary dragons are hiding under the wooden staircase. If you hold the green glass bottle up to the light, it will refract open models of future space stations. When I drink the coffee under the kitchen sink, the pipes drip slime into my burning colon. Horse feed finds my dreams fried like the fourth of july grass breeze with a hint of autumn calling a gross football player. If elves really knew how to fly, the forest would be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Of course, that bidder will already have to have their mortgage cleared with the bank in order to set up payments. And, they have to high five movie star mogules who paint limousines with old hardened paint brushes. Blue paint drips in rhythm with an old man tapping a cane in Tibet on the edge of a babbling brook full of rainbow trout. He shall reach down with his bony hand and snatch a rainbow trout, thus consuming it into his frail body. Then, after chewing and swallowing, he shall proclaim the secrets of the universe like a crackling old radio glowing audio truth into a black night's sky. Laughing, he will die.

Kittens run and frolic with inner innocense as their fuzzball bodies tumble in the leaves.

broken flowers

broken flowers
Originally uploaded by ehiggin.

Bill Murray is right on the mark as computer company owner Don Johnston in the film Broken Flowers. I went to see this film saturday with some friends. Admittedly, I wanted to see it for many days before we saw it. So, I was looking forward to it. I hadn't heard much about the plot. I only knew Bill Murray was in it.

As I stated in an earlier blog, it's easy to take Bill Murray for granted because he's so good. Broken Flowers may very well be my favorite performance of his to date. Of course, it's tough to rate it higher than Lost In Translation, which is close. It's hard to rate these performances on any kind of fair scale. They're both different, and beautiful performances. The magic is in the subtlety.

Now, down to business. This film isn't for everyone. I don't even know if it's a comedy or a drama. I certainly laughed out loud in several spots. I was never deeply moved, but this movie does have a weird cerebral depth that has you waiting for the next moment, hanging on for the next event in Don's adventure. I won't go into detail about the plot, but the point of it is he has to confront four or five "old flames" in his life. He literally has to fly there and confront each one of them. These "broken flowers" have all gone their seperate ways, and it's fascinating to see where their lives ended up. You can see Don, who is reluctant to take this trip, absorbing these women's lives, and trying to process exactly what's happening.

I love the ending. At the time, I was upset by how it ended. But, the more it sinks in retrospect, the more beautiful I think it is. Life doesn't always present us with answers. There are things in all our lives that we strive to learn. But, these mysteries are not always answered in simple black and white explanations. It's tough to deal with, but the film does it beautifully.

It also deals with the choices we all make. Not the small daily choices of "white or wheat", but bigger choices. Life choices. It's similar to some themes of the film Garden State, but it's not as emotionally intrusive. Don seems to be coming to terms with guilt and regret, possibly for the first time ever. He learns that he may have a son with one of his former flames. It seems to bring him to a place of reflection and regret he has never experienced. Don't we all have those times? Maybe we don't have illegitimate sons roaming around, but we do have weird experiences from our past that deserve closure. At least, I do.

When I watched it, I was constantly apprehensive that director Jim Jarmousch was going to slip off into "artsy fartsy" territory. But, the film never gives in to that temptation. It seems to have a certain integrity, and genuine stability to it. I loved it, and I'm probably going to see it again.

That's my two cents. To Learn more about the plot, and other things, click here.

autumn time

Well, as the summer lumbers on into late August, I am beginning to sense the first traces of fall. The afternoons are not quite as blistering and oppressive. There is a cool breeze most of the time. The humidity has eased its blanket from around the earth, thankfully. Schools are back in here in Tennessee, and the day light is getting shorter day after day.

This is going to be an unusual autumn for me. I haven't experienced fall in almost two years. At least, the real Appalachian fall. The hillsides smothered with oranges, yellows, reds, and browns. That's my favorite, you know.

Along with this time of year, which is my favorite, there are certain traditions. Since trading in the scuzzy Hollywood fastlane lifestyle, this fall is going to be a more traditional down-home experience. And, traditionally, there is certain music that accompanies that. Over the years, I've developed kind of my favorite autumn time music. Some of the associations are subconcious, associating a certain song or album to a certain time of year. So, I'd like to share with you some of my favorite fall time music, which dates back as early as 1997.


1. Beck - One Foot in the Grave
I first got into this album around 2000. I love the early Beck style, and the simplicity of the music. There is also the early Beck humor laced throughout, which makes it twice as enjoyable. This is an album that happened pre-Mellow Gold, and pre-Odelay, so it's sort of a side project. Which, makes it even better. But, there's a greyish meloncholy edge that makes it appropriate for fall. It's also an album that makes you want to play in a pile of freshly raked leaves.

An aside:
While you're at it, check out the bizarre journey of "Mellow Gold" (very fall-like) and "Odelay", a late summer/early fall celebration. And, "Odelay" is one of my favorite albums of all time.

2. Smashing Pumpkins - Various
Now, I hesitate with the "various" recommendation. And, here's the reason: there is not really one whole album that is appropriate for fall. It's mostly the band's overall vibe that fits in with the theme. There's sort of a drab, intensely emotional, vaguely Halloween-is-coming-soon thing happening here. But, among my two favorite Pumpkins albums, "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness", and "Ava Adore", there are some real gems. Not all songs are winners, but most are perfect autumn adornements. Another fall song, not included on either of these albums, is "Disarm". It's worth checking out. And "Today." I don't know why it reminds me so much of fall, but it just does, okay? Back off!

3. Dave Matthews Band - Under the Table and Dreaming, Crash
Ah, nostalgia. Nothing sweeps me back to warm cozy coffee houses in the late cold fall like Dave Matthews. I can almost taste the Capuccino when I listen to the soothing melodies and soaring acoustic guitars. I feel like a college freshman again, in a good way. Favorites: "Crash Into Me", and "Satellite".

Honorable mention: Radiohead - OK Computer
Still brilliant. Still beautiful. Still sad.

These are not my only fall albums. But, to list everything here would be a tediously long blog entry. Some recent discoveries are The Shins, particularly the Chutes Too Narrow album. This band is thanks to my friend Tim who recommended them. I hope you enjoy!

You can check out all these albums on AllMusic.com