Management

Management manages to be a slightly enjoyable, sweet and quirky romantic comedy.

Just barely.

The problem certainly isn't in the cast. Steve Zahn serves up his usual lovable goof. He's a loopy Lloyd Dobler--from his "Feel Like Makin' Love" serenade outside love interest Sue's house to his awkward admission that what he really wants is just to be with her. Now, a seventeen year-old Lloyd Dobler is adorable. But thirty-seven year old Lloyd Dobler, stalking his love across country, is just a wee bit creepy.

Jennifer Aniston does much better with these wry indie roles than the big budget vehicles. Her uptight, control-freak Sue is brittle yet fragile. And then there was Woody Harrelson as Sue's ex-punk yogurt-mogul boyfriend Jango. Harrelson nails the role, but the problem was not in his performance but in the fact that the character existed at all.

There's no way that the uptight Sue--with rigidly set guidelines that prevent her from accepting Mike's affection--would ever be with Jango. This is one of the issues I had with the script. The others were that the story meandered over the course of several months, as aimless as the arrested development of lead character Mike. You could also "see" the writing. Set-ups and pay-offs were clunky and obvious. Expositiory deathbed speeches. Deadend scenes. Quirk for the sake of quirk.

Where writer/director Stephen Belber really missed the boat was in not really developing the true through-line: these two extremely lonely people desperate for human contact meeting and sparking by chance.

The best part of the film was James Liao as Al, Mike's partner in crime in stealing Sue's heart. Liao almost steals the entire movie--and would have had he been given any more screen time.

1000

This is my one thousandth post.

Whew!

Come to Denis!

"For all your bliggety-blogs and facey-spaces and tweety pages..."

Playing for Change

Playing for Change describes themselves as "a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music."

Starting in 2005 in my hometown of Santa Monica, CA, Playing for Change has traveled to Barcelona, Johnannesburg, Cape Town, New Orleans, Tel Aviv, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Ghana and Dublin bringing musicians from all over the world together to perform benefit concerts that build music and art schools in communities that are in need of inspiration and hope.

Those performances have been recorded and are available on a 2-disc CD/DVD. The ten song audio CD features classics written by Bob Marley, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman, U2/Bob Dylan and Sam Cooke and featuring performances by Keb Mo', Bob Marley and Bono.

Disc One - CD

1. Stand By Me 5:13
2. One Love 5:01
3. War/No More Trouble 4:34
4. Biko 4:48
5. Let's Don't Worry 3:24
6. Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution 3:52
7. Better Man 5:23
8. Chanda Mama 3:30
9. Love Rescue Me 2:50
10. A Change Is Gonna Come 6:03

Disc Two - DVD

1. Stand By Me 5:28
2. One Love 5:01
3. War/No More Trouble 4:34
4. Let's Don't Worry 3:22
5. Chanda Mama 3:30
6. The Playing for Change Foundation 3:00
7. The Playing for Change: Peace Through Music Trailer 1:24

No Sense Reinventing the Wheel...

I've got two DVDs to watch and review, the rest of The Closer to watch and a bunch of stuff on DVR. Which leaves me no time to blog...

Fortunately, I did a great post earlier at Savings.com about Ten Blue-Collar Classics.

Check it out, add your two cents in the comments, maybe give it a Digg or Stumble.

The Closer - Season Four on DVD

On Tuesday, May 26th, Warner Home Video released the complete fourth season of The Closer on DVD.

Now, I've never seen seasons one, two or three of the series that airs on TNT. Mostly because until recently I didn't have cable. And quite frankly when I saw the promos when the show initially premiered in 2005, it seemed to me to be "The Closer--starring Kyra Sedgwick's hair!"

In reality, The Closer is quite a taut and engrossing crime procedural. It's part Law & Order but amped up with more insight into the recurring characters' lives--especially Brenda Johnson (Sedgwick), the seemingly addled but in actuality adroit title character. The title of the series refers to Brenda's almost pathological need and ability to close cases--usually through a combination of skilled and dogged detective work culminating in an intense interrogation in which the suspect ends up confessing.

The series also raises the bar with its talented cast. In addition to the Emmy-nominated Sedgwick, the reliable J. K. Simmons who plays Brenda's boss and hottie Jon Tenney who plays her fiancé. The episodes feature many ripped from the headlines type stories ala Law & Order--for example episode two of season four, "Speed Bump," which centered around the scheme of two women who took insurance policies out on halfway house residents (in reality it was homeless men) and then killed them off when the policies vested.

Sedgwick is thoroughly engaging as the transplanted Steel Magnolia. She's an iron fist in a velvet glove right down to the ultra-feminine wardrobe and accent like melted butter. She can be fussy and downright annoying, but ultimately you have the utmost admiration and respect for her pragmatic savviness.

The 4 DVD set includes all fifteen episodes plus two featurettes: "A Day in the Life of a Detective," featuring actor Corey Reynolds (Det. Sgt. David Gabriel) as he rides along with an LAPD Detective and "Catching a Lie," a compelling look at how interrogators know a suspect is telling a lie. The collection also includes a gag reel and unaired scenes.

I'm not quite halfway through season four, but as soon as I finish I'll be hunting down episodes on the internet so I can get caught up with seasons one, two and three. Season five of The Closer premieres on TNT on June 8th.

Spaghetti Fetish

It's been rather slow at "Best of Craigslist" lately. I guess they've been busy dealing with fallout from the so-called "Craigslist Killer" and the attempted lawsuit by the South Carolina Attorney General.

But lo and behold in the last couple of days a veritable deluge of "Best of" posts have shown up on the site. Including one that sound like it could be from the Cereal Fetishist's soulmate:

Sit in a hot tub full of marinara sauce with me - m4w

I have a huge hot tub, i'm going to fill it with homemade marinara sauce. Let's get naked and sit in it. I'll be wearing a Rolex and Ray-Bans. I'll put some Barbara Streisand or some Wu-Tang Clan on the stereo. Nothing too sexual, just nudity and marinara sauce.

I don't know what's stranger: someone who likes sitting in marinara or someone who likes both Barbara Streisand AND Wu-Tang Clan.

That's just weird.

Go Mental

My friend Ari was in Colombia for six months working as the script supervisor for Mental. The show is set in Los Angeles, but was filmed in South America.

Go figure.

It premieres on Fox's summer schedule tomorrow night. Support Ari and tune in Tuesday at 9 pm and watch.

Long, Lush, neulash

My co-worker Sara is guest-blogging for me today. She recently tested out a new lash conditioner from neulash. Here's what she had to say:

"When asked which makeup product they wouldn't leave the house without applying, I'm certain that a large number, if not the majority, of women would answer mascara. A little definition around the eyes can do wonders, so it's no wonder that women go to great lengths for luscious lashes. Did you know, though, that the typical lifespan of an eye lash is just 150-200 days? With all the eye lash curling, mascara, eye liner, and make up remover we use, it's really a wonder that they even last that long.

I recently learned about and tried out a new product called neuLash. NeuLash is like a conditioner made specifically for your eyelashes. It helps strengthen and moisturize your lashes, thereby extending their lifespan. Made with some natural extracts (pumpkin seed and licorice) and some not-so-natural ingredients, neuLash has been shown to increase the fullness, the width, and the dark color of lashes. After just four weeks, people (both men and women) started seeing improvements in the look and feel of their eyelashes.

The process is super simple. Right before you go to bed, apply a thin layer of neuLash just like you're applying liquid eyeliner. You can use it on your top and bottom lashes, and you can even use it to help thicken your brows. Once you start to see results, you can start using it every couple of days instead of every day. NeuLash isn't meant to be a replacement for mascara; it's more of a supplement to help strengthen your existing lashes. One tube of neuLash goes for $150, and it lasts for about three months.

If your eyes are the windows to your soul, it makes sense to put some effort into the upkeep of the curtains, right?"

Cutting throught the Keywords

It's been a while. From February through April the top ten searches landing on my blog were:

1. heroes exposed
2. gap rewards
3. trail of the screaming forehead dvd
4. hollie nell blog
5. nude dudes cleaning
6. biotherm celluli laser
7. stella louise los angeles, ca
8. who is lafleur
9. most annoying tv characters
10. gap rewards points

Wow. Nice to know I'm in the top ten although Hollie beats me out. Oh well--can't compete with a gorgeous redhead! To be fair, there were seven other keywords that were variations apparently searching for me. At least I think "blog of louise screenwriters in hollywood from pittsburgh" was searching for me...

Obviously whoever typed the above had better luck than the person searching for "carlton cuse damon lindelof cell phone number email extension." Yeah, the LOST show runners have their personal contact info posted on the internet.

Eddie Steeples beat out Tom Bergeron for "shirtless" searches. More people wanted to see nude or naked pics of Eddie over Tom as well. Personally I think y'all need help...The people searching for "garret dillahunt shirtless" or "haaz sleiman shirtless" don't have the same issues.

Poor Mark Cuban really slipped with only three shirtless searches.

Odd searches:

vintage carnival birthday party
very attractive and sexy administrative assistants in dallas
shackled in a jumpsuit
walt garp eyelashes
puppet comedy funny song lyrics first person uranus video
do indie people have schizophrenia
libra fleur tampon dog
nun and priest porno
pantyless + amusement park
puppet comedy funny song lyrics first person uranus video
wasp waisted goth girl
where are you matt huffman? does anyone know where this amazing guy in his twenties is now?

Searches that will become future posts:

90s heartthrobs
top ten trigger happy movies
my top 10 favorite movies of 2009 (in 2010)

"Average" searches:

average 1 number to another
average adding
average age of death for the tudors
average annie
average computer crashes
average facebook posts on birthday
average films of 2008
average heroes
average hotties
average housewives nude
average jane
average keywords
average mens+nude blog
average money spent on a tv
average movies
average nude
average pay of pro dancers on dwts
average people nude
average price for a screenplay 2008
average price for eco shoes
average price on beauty products
average runner
average screenplay salary
average size of a spongebob
average social network
average stone throw
average tattoo time
average time needed to read 100 pages
average time taken to read 100 pages
average time to read 100 pages
average vert
fashion tips for average men
is slumdog millionaire average
nude average
pc computers crash on average how often?
slumdog millionnaire , average

the answer above average boutique
what is the average amount of views for shades of gray
what's the average time to read 100 pages

"Above average" searches:

above average
above average 2 years old
above average animals
above average boutique
above average facially
above average footwear
above average looking
above average nike
above average quotes
above average shoes
above-average
average, above avarage , etc
beauty above average com
aboveaverageconnection
aka above average wrestler
stalker ""above-average""
another word for above average
above average stella

Oh look--another search for me! They would have found me a whole lot faster if instead of looking for just "above average," they set their sights on "Well Above Average."

The Brothers Bloom

I went to a geezer-free showing of this movie this morning. I've been hearing about it for a while--which is never a good sign. Usually when a studio drags its feet distributing a movie, it's an indication that something is wrong.

Still, it has a great cast and when I found out it was Rian Johnson's follow-up to Brick, I had to see it.

Unfortunately while Johnson nailed his update of the noir genre with Brick, the con man caper of The Brothers Bloom fell flat. It was flaccid and amorphous where it should have been sharp and taut.

Johnson appears to have watched every Wes Anderson movie ever made--twice. He should have spent the time watching and re-watching Newman and Redford in The Sting.

If you like quirk, The Brother Bloom has plenty of it. Mostly in the characters of Rachel Weisz's madcap heiress and Rinko Kikichu's explosives expert. Adrian Brody does his usual soulful shtick and Mark Ruffalo is more than capable as his older brother and puppetmaster. The film is filled with beautifully composed shots and character vignettes, but plot and character arcs pretty much fall by the wayside.

Johnson tries to communicate thematically the idea of an "unwritten life," but it never quite coalesces. The film is crammed with whimsical touches from a rhyming expository voiceover, neoclassical settings, random cameos, exotic locations but in flitting from one offbeat touch to the next, the movie becomes less than the sum of its parts.

My advice: for a far better Rian Johnson production, rent Brick. And if you're really hankering for a fun con man caper, check out The Sting.

50 Things

Sara tagged me on Facebook to answer 50 questions I've never been asked (and it's true: no-one has ever asked me what color my toothbrush is before this...), and then I'm supposed to tag 15 people after I'm finished.

So if you're reading this, consider yourself "tagged" and feel free to post your answers in the comments or link back to your blog.

And now on with the "Stella Trivia":

1. What color is your toothbrush?

I had to get up and look. It's blue and white with blue and white bristles. My bathroom is decorated in an orange rust and sage green color scheme. Should I buy a new toothbrush so it matches my decor?

2. Name one person who made you smile today:

No-one's made me smile yet today. Dammit people--you're shirking!

3. What were you doing at 8 a.m. this morning?

Dragging my body out of bed. Yay, Saturday!

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago?

Sorting laundry. I lead a very exciting life!

5. What is your favorite candy bar?

Anything chocolate and peanut butter.

6. Have you ever been to a strip club?

No way! But I used to have to walk past one almost daily on the way to and back from the gym.

7. What is the last thing you said aloud?

"Yes." I handed a cashier at BB&B a 20% off coupon with my purchase and he asked if I wanted to use it today. My actual response in my head was "Duh!" but I settled for "Yes."

8. What is your favorite ice cream?

Pistachio.

9. What was the last thing you had to drink?

Water.

10. Do you like your wallet?

Eh, it's functional.

11. What was the last thing you ate?

Peanut butter on bananas and milkless Shredded Oats cereal.

12. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?

Sigh. Yes...

13. The last sporting event you watched?

Does watching the Dancing with the Stars finale results show qualify as a sporting event? There was a trophy involved...

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?

Buttery and salty. (This was Sara's answer as well.)

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to?

I do not text. Ever.

16. Ever go camping?

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

17. Do you take vitamins daily?

Yup.

18. Do you go to church every Sunday?

Nope.

19. Do you have a tan?

More than I should but much less than I could.

20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza?

I think I'm more drawn to pizza.

21. Do you drink your soda with a straw?

On the rare occasion I have soda, I drink it straight from the can.

22. What did your last text message say?

Are you not paying attention? I do not TEXT!

23. What are you doing tomorrow?

Grocery shopping, car wash (maybe), movie, yoga

25. Look to your left, what do you see?

What happened to question 24?!!!

26. What color is your watch?

I own half a dozen watches that I no longer wear. Silver, gold, brown leather, black, etc.

27. What do you think of when you hear Australia?

Steve Irwin saying, "Crikey!"

29. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?

I don't eat fast food. Wait, we're missing question 28, too?!!!

30. What is your favorite number?

9

31. Who's the last person you talked to on the phone?

Some guy from AdFusion.

32. Any plans today?

Laundry.

33. How many states have you lived in?

Ten.

34. Biggest annoyance right now?

Inconsiderate neighbors.

35. Last song listened to?

"Killing the Blues" - Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards?

Very slowly perhaps.

37. Do you have a maid service clean your house?

No--no service cleans better than I do when I'm motivated and have the time to clean.

38. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?

Dr. Marten thong sandals.

39. Are you jealous of anyone?

Sometimes.

40. Is anyone jealous of you?

Doubtful.

41. Do you love anyone?

Of course.

42. Do you have children?

Hell no.

43. What do you usually do during the day?

Work, surf the internet, workout, lather, rinse, repeat.

44. Do you hate anyone that you know right now?

Hate is a strong word. "Intensely irked by" is more accurate.

45. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?

Yes.

46. What color is your car?

Underneath the dirt, pollen and bird $@#%, it's a blue-green color.

47. Do you like cats?

When they're not yowling or @#$%ing in my yard. But I'm allergic to them...

48. Are you thinking about someone right now?

No, I'm answering these questions. Multi-tasking isn't my strong suit...

49. Have you ever been to Six Flags?

I don't think so.

50. How did you get your worst scar?

My belly button exploded. Long story...

So there you have it--50 (I mean 48!) more things that you never knew about me. There will be a test later people!

Ugly Betty - In the Stars and The Fall Issue

Poor Molly. Did y'all see her death coming from a mile away like I did? Ugh. The Sixth Sense touch during Daniel's MAMA acceptance speech was suitably creepy. I thought the moment was undercut a bit starting with Suzuki St. Pierre's snarky dubbing of the couple as "Prince Charming and soon-t0-be Sleeping Beauty." But a devastated Daniel being comforted by Betty was a poignant moment.

Matt was his usual whiny, needy, clingy self during both episodes. There was a moment where he embarrassed Betty by talking to Henry and airhead girlfriend Chloe with his belly button that I found him adorable, but the rest of the time--forget it.

When he confronts Betty about her kiss with Henry, he tells her "I never kissed anyone else!" Yeah, pretty high-handed for a former sex addict...

And it looks like he might have Willie's job after her attempt to blackmail Claire over her secret lovechild with Cal Hartley backfired. Oh great. Even more pouty, whiny Matt next season. I think we need the writers to bring Gio back to kick his @$.

Christopher Gorham's appearance on the show didn't rock my world the way it did Betty's--nor did seeing The View harridans grilling Daniel or even Rachel Dratch playing twins Penny and Mindy. The Billie Jean King cameo was a hoot, however--as was that of Antonio Sabato, Jr. In fact, as Betty was recounting her Antonio dream to Hilda I was thinking, "I've had that very same dream!"

Of course mine doesn't end with whiny Matt accusing me of cheating. That by definition would not be a dream but a nightmare...

And it was genius to find a way to pair up Vanessa Williams and Broadway veteran Christine Baranski up for a brief duet.

Marc's pep talk to Justin who was rejected for a spot at the high school of the performing arts (I can totally see Mark Indelicato as part of the cast of Fame...) was nifty: "Find a niche. And if you can't find one...make one."

Next season: Is Marc really going to Mode? That would be sad. Will Willie track down Connor or was that who startled her at the end of the episode? And do we have a Meade half-brother or sister showing up sometime soon?

ABC Promo Part Deux

This one's even funnier:



Love Rob Lowe smashing Ty Pennington's megaphone and Amanda and Hurley.

Dude!

Talk About Product Placement

The Washington Post talks about the PR boost to the Smithsonian's bottom line due to its inclusion in the upcoming sequel to Night at the Museum.

Unfortunately Post critic Dan Kois wasn't thrilled by the flick according to his review, but it'll still do beaucoup bucks due to being one of the few family friendly films opening for the holiday weekend.

This Cracks Me Up

No episode of LOST tonight (sob!!!), but here's hottie Matthew Fox aka Jack Shepherd cooking with Teri Hatcher (Susan Mayer at her least annoying...):



Pretty clever campaign if you ask me.

Philip B. Changes Hollie's Life

This is how awesome I am: I set the gorgeous and talented Hollie up with some Philip B. hair products to review.

Last week she announced to me, "Philip B has changed my life!"

Wow. Now I'm jealous.

Ah well...at least my blog gets a review out of it!

"My hair loves Stella. Okay, actually my hair loves Philip B but it loves Stella for bringing Philip into my life. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Rewind to about two months ago. The lovely Stella asked if I wanted to receive a complimentary scalp treatment and blow out courtesy of Philip B. Due to some sort of miscommunication with the company, my treatment was canceled. As an apology, they offered to send me some products. I left feeling disappointed but the products they sent me were the best apology ever.

Seriously, ladies, my days of Head and Shoulders and Pantene Pro-V are over. I am a convert. A high end, shampoo loving convert.

My favorite product is the Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo. It’s like washing your hair with magic. It smells like heaven and cotton candy and love, with its mixture of Shea butter, rosemary and other yumminess. It goes on so smoothly and the second you rinse it off, your hair is thanking you by looking effortlessly beautiful. It retails for $140 so I treat myself with it once a week. It’s like my own mini spa vacation for my hair.

The peppermint and avocado volumizing and clarifying shampoo I use almost daily. I have always had a weird sort of build up on my hair and other clarifying shampoos tended to make it really dry or do nothing at all but this completely balances it out and it has a light, sweet scent.

The Lightweight Deep Conditioning Rinse is equally fantastic. I’m a sporadic conditioner but it’s great to use once a week to get my hair really soft and manageable.

The Katira Masque is one of the best treatments I’ve ever used. It’s most effective if you comb it in and either let it dry naturally or blow dry and then rinse clean.

The recommended treatment goes like this:

1. Peppermint and Avocado Shampoo - let set for one to three minutes and rinse
2. The Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo - Same as above
3. Use the Deep conditioner or Katira Masque or both

I’ve tried the treatment and it really does leave your hair looking like you just left a salon. I KNOW it sounds like the Philip B people have brainwashed me but this stuff is just really that good. I’m so impressed with these products; I want to shout it from the rooftops. As I’ve said before on Stella’s blog, I don’t usually buy into the more expensive products are better but in this case I’ll have to say they most certainly are.

The only product I wasn’t crazy about was the PH Restorative Detangling Toning Mist. I tried it once but it contains Apple Vinegar and the smell (for me) is simply unbearable. Being extremely fair skinned, I suffered numerous sunburns as a child and my mother’s vinegar baths came flashing back. I’m not even sure how it worked because I was so busy trying to get rid of the smell. But if you don’t mind the scent of vinegar, definitely give it a shot.

As a huge fan of these products, I now find myself rationing. I’ll alternate these shampoos with my old standbys. But who knows when it runs out, I may find myself unable to leave without Philip B.

Thanks again Stella for this fantastic discovery.

As if Hollie's fabulous mane of hair could be any more beautiful! Heaven, cotton candy and love? Sigh. I think I might have to check out Philip B myself.

Desperate Housewives - Season Finale

The two-hour season finale of Desperate Housewives was actually two one hour episodes. It featured the return of Edie (as one of Dave's hallucinations) and more importantly the return of Lily Tomlin as McCluskey's sister Roberta.

M.J. survived and the writers did a bit to try and rehabilitate Dave's reputation. But instead of being killed by the crash he set up to punish Susan, he actually survived and is back in a mental institution.

Cliffhangers for next season: Lynette's pregnancy and how it will affect the Scavo's future/marriage, Karl and Bree's hot affair and who was it that Mike married at the end of the show? I'm guessing Susan given that passionate kiss they shared after the drama with Dave was over.

Gabby's dealing with a mini-me in the form of the teen-aged granddaughter of Miss Patti--I mean Carlos' Aunt Connie--who she and Carlos take in when Aunt Connie becomes too ill to continue caring for her. Actually, Ana combines the bad sides of Gabby and former DH demon seed Kayla. No doubt she'll wreak havoc on the Solis marriage before she's eventually put out to pasture.

In addition to horrendous hairstyles, Felicity Huffman has had to suffer through the Susan Mayerization of her character this season. I mean, seriously--has anyone been more annoying than Lynette lately? A couple of weeks ago, she's telling Tom he can do whatever he wants since she's got a nice, cushy job and this week she's sabotaging his attempt to go back to school because learning to speak Mandarin is frivolous?

Who cares? He was hanging out with Gabby's garden club before. Although one doesn't need to attend a university to learn a language. No doubt he could have taken an Adult Ed or community college course or two.

Best line of the night: Lynette to nurse who refused to tell her the test results, "If it's cancer and I find out you knew, I won't be dying alone."

I don't really care who Mike ended up marrying (if it's Susan again, he deserves what he gets...), but the Karl and Bree affair should make it worthwhile to tune in next season. And note to Marc Cherry: more Bob and Lee!

Star Trek

I was a bit trepidatious about seeing the new Star Trek today. Not about whether or not J.J. Abrams and company would adhere to canon, but given its box office popularity I was afraid I'd be dealing with crowds.

Of course, even in desolate movie theaters I have the ability to attract unwelcome neighbors. You may recall my ongoing run-ins with a movie-going geezer who continually managed to plant his hunched-over carcass right in front of me on a number of occasions.

Of course this was at the Avco in Westwood, so I thought I'd be safe seeing Star Trek in Santa Monica. And I lucked out--the 10:50 am showing had maybe a dozen people in the audience. The lights went down and we were "treated" to a series of lame trailers for future action-adventure movies including Michael Bay's deafening addition to the Transformers franchise and the inexplicable G.I. Joe.

G.I. Joe? Really? Seriously folks, it's only a matter of time until we get movies featuring Cap'n Crunch and the Trix Rabbit.

So, as I'm settling into the movie, who should shuffle in ten minutes into the flick but the hunched-over geezer! I kid you not! And of course, he proceeds to plant himself in the seat directly in front of me!!!

Note to Geezer: STOP STALKING ME!!!

He shuffled out ten minutes later, but what the @#$%?!!!

Back to the movie review: You got to give J.J. and company credit for keeping the action going. Never a dull moment in the movie--although the non-stop action did get a bit tedious at times. I'm thinking maybe the writers took into account the fact that most movie-goers know these characters well enough to dispense with the character development. But I could have used the break.

As far as the characters go, everyone did a pretty good job of inhabiting the well-loved icons of TOS. Chris Pine channeled Kirk's swagger, Zachary Quinto mastered Spock's arched eyebrow (although rumor has it he had to have his fingers taped together to manage his salute) and the rest of the cast did a respectable job. My favorite was Simon Pegg who managed to not only inhabit Montgomery Scott, but make the character completely his own in a criminally brief amount of screen time.

On the other end of the spectrum was Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov. While it would have been hard for the young actor to duplicate Walter Koenig's dark attraction, the fact that Yelchin has as much charisma as a hyperactive cockapoo didn't help. And what were the hair stylists thinking with that frizzy perm? Yelchin's look as Charlie Bartlett was more similar to Chekov's than that!

Makeup can't be let off the hook either--Gaila the green Orion girl looked like Elphaba's understudy in Wicked than an alien life form. On the plus side was the casting of Karl Urban as Leonard McCoy. Who knew "Bones" was such a hottie?

The biggest "what the @#$%?" for me was the "have your cake and eat it, too" choice to ignore the established backstory (known to Trekkies or Trekkers or whatever they call themselves as "canon") and yet allegedly remain faithful to that backstory. And how can they do that you ask? Simple: time travel.

See, everything happened just the way the Trekkies established canon proscribes, but due to a blackhole (or wormhole), a vindictive renegade Romulean changed the past. I guess knowing J.J. Abrams love of time travel, this was to be an expected move. And while it allowed Leonard Nimoy to join the cast playing a near 200 year-old Spock (and looking every single day of it!), I'm not sure it really accomplished improving the story.

In fact, Abrams and the writers as much as concede that fact with a running joke about how taking certain shortcuts are the equivalent of cheating. To me, it was sort of like the Republicans rewriting history by pulling the "what did she know and when" routine on Nancy Pelosi as a smokescreen against their administration's complicity in using torture interrogation techniques.

This isn't to say that the reboot of the Star Trek franchise was torture--it was a mostly entertaining flick. But I can't see using time travel to avoid staying true to the characters' backstory necessarily as an improvement.

Cutting the Cord?

A recent article in the Washington Post discussed the tenuous future of television.

I've recently caught up with season three of Dexter and season two of Eli Stone compliments of CastTV. Both series I wasn't able to watch during their regular season, so I was grateful for the opportunity to watch them on my schedule.

But cutting the cord? Not quite there yet.

For one, the quality of the digital video on CastTV was mediocre at best. And there's always the inescapable fact that some series just beg to be watched real time (such as the series finale of LOST) so as to be on the same page as everyone else at the "water cooler."

As for Eli Stone, who I was introduced to via the season one DVD, all I have to say is--Damn, that's a great show! Sadly I don't think it's coming back and I'm going to miss it. Jonny Lee Miller, whose claim to fame heretofore was being married to Angelina Jolie, is completely adorable and what a great American accent!

How come Brits do American accents better than American actors (Gwyneth and Renee, I'm talking to you!)?

I still haven't been able to watch the last two episodes: "Tailspin" and "Flight Path." Anyone know where I can find them?