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January 2009
Celebrate the Super Bowl with a Bacon Explosion!
With the big game around the corner, you are doubtlessly preparing an appetizer, queso or chili recipe that will blow the socks off of your friends and leave everyone in a food coma by the second half.
Before you break out grandma’s secret recipe book or go to one of your old tried-and-true concoctions, you may want to take a look at this barbecued bacon recipe, Bacon Explosion!, courtesy of bbqaddicts.com.
Here’s what you’ll need…2 pounds thick cut bacon
2 pounds Italian sausage
1 jar of your favorite barbeque sauce
1 jar of your favorite barbeque rub
2 defibrillator paddles (ed. note)
911 on speed dial (ed. note)To kick off the construction of this pork medley you’ll need to create a 5x5 bacon weave. If the strips you’re using aren’t as wide as the ones pictured, then you may need to use a few extra slices to fill out the pattern. Just make sure your weave is tight and that you end up with a nice square shape to work with.
The next step is to add some barbeque seasoning on top of your bacon weave. Being the barbeque addict that I am, I whipped up a batch of Burnt Finger BBQ’s competition pork rub for this special occasion. Seeing as not everyone has the time, or the expertise, to create a tasty rub of their own, I would recommend trying Bad Byron’s Butt Rub, Rendezvous Famous Seasoning, or Steven Raichlen’s All-Purpose Rub.
For the final steps, go to bbqaddicts.com.
Photos taken from bbqaddicts.com
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Your A-List: Best Radio-Sponsored Event/Series
Nothing says (or sounds like) “summer” like KGSR’s Blues on the Green, with 27 percent of the vote, winner of the Your A-List poll for Best Radio-Sponsored Event/Series.
The free concert series which has seen incarnations at several venues over the past 20 years, offers a cool musical respite from Austin’s brutal heat. Each week during the summer, many of them KGSR listeners, flock to Zilker Park to hear music from such acts as Los Lonely Boys and Marcia Ball. The traffic jams, stream of pedestrians down Barton Creek Road and tunes wafting over South Austin have become an Austin tradition.
Others receiving votes
- KVET free concert series at Hill’s, 20 percent
- KGSR Unplugged at Shady Grove, 16 percent
- Bobby Bones Anniversary Bash, 10 percent
- 101X Homegrown Live concerts, 6 percent
- 101X X-Mas Party, 5 percent
- J.B. and Sandy’s Beach, 5 percent
- Bobby Bones Second-Chance Prom, 4 percent
- Bobaritaville, 3 percent
- Hot 93.3 Meltdown, 3 percent
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Your A-List: Best Movie Popcorn
Who can go to a movie without eating their weight in popcorn? Certainly not I. There is just no way to separate the movie-watching experiment and popcorn eating (unless you’re allergic to corn or awesome).
While every theater in town offers popcorn, the Alamo Drafthouse(s) has set itself apart, and its South Lamar location, with 26 percent of the vote, is the winner of the Your A-List poll for Best Movie Popcorn.
Unlike many chain theaters, you don’t have to take out a second mortgage to buy the salty goodness, either, and if you prefer your popcorn with butte, you’re in luck, as the Alamo uses real butter on its Fancy Farm popcorn.
And as an added bonus, the presentation of the Alamo’s popcorn makes you feel right at home, with stainless steel bowls or vintage looking containers serving the small ($3.59), which is big enough for two, and the large ($4.99), which is big enough for eight. Get crazy an add a side of herbed parmesan and romano cheese for $1. Your heart will thank you.
Others receiving votes
- Alamo Drafthouse at The Ritz, 10 percent
- Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek, 9 percent
- Alamo Drafthouse Village, 9 percent
- AMC Barton Creek Square, 6 percent
- Regal Gateway, 5 percent
- Regal Westgate, 5 percent
- Cinemark Austin Southpark, 4 percent
- Regal Arbor, 3 percent
- Cinemark Round Rock, 3 percent
- Tinseltown Pflugerville, 3 percent
- Cinemark Hill Country Galleria, 2 percent
- Dobie, 2 percent
- Paramount Theatre, 2 percent
- Cinemark Cedar Park, 2 percent
- City Lights Theaters Georgetown, 2 percent
- Galaxy Highland, 2 percent
- Regal Metropolitan, 2 percent
- Millennium, 1 percent
- Tinseltown South, 1 percent
- Regal Lakelike Mall, < 1 percent
- Starplex, < 1 percent
- Showplace Cinema, < 1 percent
- Cinemark Round Rock Discount Movies, < 1 percent
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Parents of ‘Slumdog’ actors feel exploited
The feel-good movie of the year, “Slumdog Millionaire,” is being tainted with a bit of nastiness of late. According to The Telegraph, the parents of two of the young actors who played Latika and Salim as children believe the producers were dishonest and did not live up to their end of the deal vis-a-vis salaries.
[From the Telegraph]
“The child actors’ parents have accused the hit film’s producers of exploiting and underpaying the eight-year-olds, disclosing that both face uncertain futures in one of Mumbai’s most squalid slums.”…
The film’s British director, Danny Boyle, has spoken of how he set up trust funds for Rubina and Azharuddin and paid for their education. But it has emerged that the children, who played Latika and Salim in the early scenes of the film, were paid less than many Indian domestic servants.
Rubina was paid £500 for a year’s work while Azharuddin received £1,700, according to the children’s parents.
However a spokesman for the film’s American distributors, Fox Searchlight, disputed this saying the fees were more than three times the average annual salary an adult in their neighbourhood would receive. They would not disclose the actual sum. “
Looks like someone should have negotiated some back-end points. I jest, of course, but it is a sticky and predictable situation. The movie is obviously making millions and millions of dollars, and now those who were paid well but not exorbitantly want their cut.
Read the full story here.
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Starbucks to stop brewing decaf after noon
In another of the myriad and seemingly endless signs that the flailing economy is affecting seemingly every industry, Bloomberg.com reports that Starbucks will soon stop brewing decaf coffee after noon. The company says that the move will help them save $400 million dollars by September. And probably save people over 50 the same amount.
[From Bloomberg]
The company, which last year started brewing fresh pots of coffee every 30 minutes, will have the caffeine- free version available upon request after 12 p.m., the Seattle-based company said today in an e-mailed statement. It takes about four minutes for a fresh cup to brew, spokeswoman Bridget Baker said.“For many of our stores, the demand for decaf is greatly reduced in the afternoon,” the company said in the statement. “With our current standard of continually brewing decaf after 12 p.m. regardless of demand, we have seen a high amount of waste.”
The company informed baristas of the change yesterday. Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz is accelerating a cost-cutting plan to save $400 million by September from labor and product expenses. The plan includes brewing smaller pots of coffee so that less is wasted if it’s not purchased within the 30-minute time limit.
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Mickey Rourke dating his ‘daughter’?
As indicated by its place in my top three films of 2008, I am a big fan of director Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler.” The stripped-down beauty of the film and the incredible performance of Mickey Rourke, who has since been nominated for an Academy Award, make Aronofsky’s low budget movie a must-see.
When I watched it, I had the feeling that the movie was littered with non-actors and tons of improvisation. Turns out, the movie was even more realistic than I imagined. Check out Terry Gross’s interview with Aronofsky from Fresh Air on Tuesday, wherein he discusses his reasons behind making the film, the process of shooting, and working with Rourke. You will come away with an even greater respect for Aronofsky and Rourke. For a good laugh, pay close attention around the 24:45 mark, when Gross has to very nervously and prudely utter the words “strip club.”
As an aside, apparently the 52 year-old Rourke was photographed making out with Evan Rachel Wood the other night following the SAG Awards. You know, the same 21 year-old Wood who plays Rourke’s daughter in “The Wrestler.”
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Photos: 2009 Presidential Inauguration
I recently returned from a trip to Washington, D.C. for the Presidential Inauguration. Having lived in D.C. for many years, I can say that the city responded amazingly well to the massive crowds. Below are a few pictures, and you can click here for the full gallery.
(Photos by Matthew Odam, Paige Odam Barnett and Allen Y Chen)
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Joaquin Phoenix tries his hand as a rapper
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Your A-List: Best Place for Cheap Drinks
One good thing about being one of the most booze-happy cities in America is that there is no shortage of places to find cheap drinks. In fact, there are so many great choices that our readers couldn’t come to a consensus as to the best place to go get buzzed on the cheap. Barfly’s, the awesomely dingy on Airport Boulevard, officially won the Your A-List poll for Best Place for Cheap Drinks, but finished in a statistical dead heat with Ginny’s Little Longhorn and Treasure Island Pirate Bar. All three bars finished with 14 percent of the vote, but when last call was announced and the lights came on, Barfly was left standing.
Not only does the trio offer cheap drinks, but with each one in a different part of town — the classic dive Ginny’s on N. Burnett Road, the home-to-the-weekday-crowd dive Barfly’s on Airport, and the just-barely-21 magnet Treasure Island — you’re just a short drive/walk/bus ride away from liquid bliss.
Others receiving votes
- Poodle Dog Lounge, 12 percent
- Horseshoe Lounge, 9 percent
- Nasty’s, 9 percent
- Jackalope, 7 percent
- Longbranch Inn, 5 percent
- Cheers, 5 percent
- Carousel Lounge, 4 percent
- Backstage Bar, 3 percent
- Beerland, 3 percent
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Confessions of a Cluttered Mind
Confessions of a Cluttered Mind
- What’s the deal with computers?
- When an NFL studio team says of a coach, “He’s really one of the really good guys in the league,” what does that mean exactly? That the other coaches about whom they don’t say that hire child labor or run dog fights or don’t tithe 10%? Really.
- Bad boys are apparently attractive to women. Bad boys attired in 60s suits who chain smoke, drink, womanize and feel almost no empathy for other human beings are apparently very, very attractive. While I love “Mad Men,” and John Hamm as Don Draper is amazing, is it not just a little disconcerting that Draper, who epitomizes a heartless philanderer, is the center of countless women’s fantasies at present? Maybe I’m just a cuddler.
- Just as with wide receivers scoring touchdowns, shouldn’t actors who win awards “act like they’ve been there before” when receiving recognition? Kate Winslet (who didn’t deserve to beat Anne Hathaway or Merryl Streep), I’m looking at you.
- Mickey Rourke thanking his dogs after (deservedly) winning a Globe for best actor was the ultimate in duality. “Hey, I know I’ve been an ass and almost impossible to stand by or defend … but screw you anyways for bailing on me; this one’s for my dogs.”
- When the announcer at the symphony tells people to unwrap their candy or cough drops before a performance, it’s fine to giggle, but then unwrap the damn things. I know old people love candy, but the acoustics at The Long Center are better for driving me to distraction with constant throat-clearing and plastic crinkling than they are for optimal music enjoyment.
- Why aren’t more kitchens at good restaurants in town open till 11pm? (Not looking at you Starlite or Parkside.)
- I saw “24” for the first time in three years, and I swear nothing changes about that show: Keifer Sutherland’s stern grimace (which I kept trying to replicate sitting on my couch wondering if it was fair that he made millions doing the same bit over and over), foreboding music constantly playing underneath, Tony Alameda refusing to speak in anything but a Dark Knight whisper-growl. And, yes, I think I will DVR the entire season, for some reason.
- Speaking of DVR … I am new to the whole thing, but watched my first DVR’d NFL game of the season (Cardinals v. Panthers) over the weekend, and it was like eating cheese for the first time. How could I have not known about this? How will I ever be able to give it up? Being able to fast forward through commercials and dead balls and inane sideline reports led me to watching an NFL game in its entirety for the first time all season … in just under an hour. I’ll never play fantasy football (or listen to RUSH), but I just may come around on the No Fun League.
- Why is a network like Fox allowed to broadcast college football’s biggest games (BCS) after not broadcasting them all season, leading to the ultimate fish-out-of-water experience? This would be like letting me become the Statesman’s arts critics because I like music and went to the symphony once.
- “Deal or No Deal” is the most idiotic game show on television, and one I’d never seen five second of until last week. But explained and pimped by the right friend, it and its hackneyed participant and friends over-acting and simplistic gaming structure, become a guilty pleasure of a rather high order.
- How can I be in my 33rd year and still not know how to sew a button or iron a shirt, despite being taught both things multiple times over the years. Could a store that only sews buttons exist? You wouldn’t need much space, and the name (Sew Buttons) is obvious and “cute” enough that it seems tailor-made (echem) for the Austin market.
- Why can’t my iPod automatically shut off when I turn off my car? Have I ever turned it off when I get out of my car? Of course not. This leads to constantly charging it in order to get four songs of music out of it. President-elect Obama would not be pleased.
- Is “Wall*E” more overrated than “Juno” or is it the other way around? Impossible to decide.
- Why is it that every time I try I shop for a pair of jeans, they fit me perfectly in the store and then seemingly grow 2” in the waist and 2” in length the second I hit the parking lot? I think I secretly want to be a raver.
- What’s the deal with computers?
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Mickey Rourke delivers emotional bodyslam in ‘The Wrestler’
If you haven’t yet heard or read about Mickey Rourke’s performance in “The Wrestler,” you’ve likely been living under a rock for the better part of a month.
For those under the age of 30, Rourke may be known as little more than a washed-up actor with a busted face that reads like a roadmap of the history of bad plastic surgery. But 25 years ago, Rourke (“Diner,” “Rumblefish”) was considered one of the rising stars in American cinema, compared at times to a young Marlon Brando. Hard living and bad choices, however, derailed Rourke’s career, and he disappeared from major films until returning to public consciousness in 2005’s “Sin City,” in which he gave an amazing performance.
Thanks to the prescient and bold decision making by director Darren Aronofsky (“Requiem for a Dream,” “Pi”), Rourke returns to the screen now as a washed-up wrestler looking to regain his former glory. The ultimate act of art imitating life.
Randy “The Ram” Robinson was once the darling of the wrestling world, a pop culture icon along the lines of Hulk Hogan. We learn his story through a montage of old wrestling posters at the film’s beginning, but by the time the lights come up, we see that his star has fallen. Hard. He is now relegated to wrestling on a minor circuit with starry-eyed youngsters, has-beens and never-were’s, struggling to make enough money between bouts and part-time stock boy work at a grocery store, to pay the rent on his dilapidated trailer home.
Rourke’s vulnerability, self-effacing humor and intensity reveal a man who has only ever had one talent in life, and the lengths to which he will go to recoup his old life. Along the way, Robinson struggles to maintain a tenuous relationship with his daughter and find a kindred spirit in the form of a stripper (Marisa Tomei), who is also seeing a career using her body fade into non-existence. (Although, beyond the vacant eyes and self-loathing, it is a bit hard to square the incredibly gorgeous Tomei as washed-up.) Behind the steroid-infused muscle, spray tans and spandex pants, The Ram is a self-aware and wounded animal, fighting for a life in the ring, the only place he can truly feel deserving of love.
The bleak and intimate cinematography and handheld camera allow moviegoers a voyeuristic look into The Ram’s world, following this crippled warrior documentary-style in his sad slog back to the middle. While the film is a heartbreaking character study, it differs quite a bit from standard indie fare with its intense use of violence. (This is a wrestling movie after all.) So, make no mistake about what you’re getting into when you go see “The Wrestler” this weekend (which you should); there are scenes containing intense violence and no small amount of blood and gore. But the real pain lies in the heart and mind of The Ram and is brought forth by Rourke in a way that no other actor I can imagine could possibly match. (And, to think, some studio folks wanted Nicolas Cage to play the role. Yikes.)
Get showtimes for “The Wrestler” in Austin here.
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Sacrifice your Facebook friends for a free Whopper from Burger King
So it appears Burger King has thrown its hat into the sarcasm ring.
In the past few months, I’ve heard plenty of people asking whether their “friends” would be notified if they were “de-friended” on Facebook. It’s the “Who shot J.R.?” question of the cyber generation. The answer, of course, is no. Burger King wants to change that.
The same company that brought you SubservientChicken.com (in which you could command a man in a chicken costume to perform dance moves via Web cam) is now bringing you Whopper Sacrifice, a widget for Facebook that allows you to de-friend 10 people in exchange for a FREE WHOPPER! The catch: when you de-friend said people, their and your feeds will display that you have “sacrificed” them for said supersaturated fat delivery system.
It’s not clear whether the de-friending is permanent or not. (Or whether anyone on Facebook actually eats at Burger King.) Of course, you could also just quickly accept 10 of those people from high school/college you don’t really like who have been in your queue for months and then summarily de-friend them and get your grease on. (And, yes, there is a limit one Whopper per 10 ex-friends, fatty.)
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Your A-List: Best Pet Store
With 38 percent of the vote, relative newcomer Lofty Dog in the 2nd Street District, is considered the cat’s pajamas by you, the readers. Lofty Dog (get it? you put your animals on a pedestal and live in a loft) caters to the recent urbanites who have moved downtown, along with office workers looking to walk to buy pet food, thereby saving them a stop on their drive home.
Owner Veronique Michalik eventually grew tired of the land development business she’d worked in for years, and decided she wanted to own a pet store. She called up her sons, got the family on board, and opened Lofty Dog in September of 2007. The business is truly family-owned and operated, with Michalik and her two sons, Colin and Ian (along with Ian’s girlfriend), serving as the stores only employees.
The light, airy and decidedly un-doggy-smelling store carries a host of premium and natural dog and cat foods, along with toys, treats, clothes (UT or rhinestone-studded jumper for your pug, anyone?) and petphemera. As an added bonus for those living in the 01-05 zip codes, the store also delivers pet food and hopes to expand its in-store services to include grooming and daycare in 2009.
Beyond offering all of your necessary and unnecessary but oh-so-adorable pet gear, Lofty Dog also sponsors meet-ups and events, such as this Thursday’s “Poochinis,” an evening that includes manicures for the dogs and Tito’s martinis and Z Pizza for their owners. Oh, downtown, is there anything you can make hip (or add booze to)?
Lofty Dog
403 W. 2nd St.
476.5050
(Free two-hour parking available in the City Hall garage)
Hours
Monday - Saturday: 10:00 am - 7:00 pm
Sunday: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Others receiving votes
- Bark ‘n Purr, 27 percent
- Tomlinson’s, 15 percent
- Herpeton, 4 percent
- Rivers & Reefs Pet Center, 4 percent
- Gallery of Pets, 3 percent
- Just for Pets, 2 percent
- Zookeeper Exotic Pets, 2 percent
- River City Aquatics, 1 percent
- Bark ‘n Bubbles, 1 percent
- Amazonia, < 1 percent
- Aquatek, < 1 percent
- K9Lives, < 1 percent
- Partners, < 1 percent
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‘Doubt’: Streep and Hoffman at their heavyweight bests
When I heard that Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep were going to be playing the leads in John Patrick Shanley’s film adaptation of his Broadway super-hit “Doubt,” I was over the moon. What lover of acting would not freak over the idea of (arguably) the greatest actor of her generation going toe-to-toe with (arguably) the greatest actor of his? But then I read a couple of lukewarm reviews, including one from The New Yorker’s Anthony Lane, with whom I usually agree, and decided maybe I should skip it. Thank God for slow Tuesday nights, skepticism and award screeners.
I watched “Doubt” at home last night and was simply blown away by the acting. Streep and Hoffman are Ali and Frazier, raging war (here spoken and unspoken) in several scenes that leave you emotionally confused and battered. I was torn between being knocked into the back of the couch and drawn to its edge.
“Doubt” tells the story of a Catholic school in the Bronx that is having a crisis of leadership, with Streep’s Sister Aloysius playing the rigid taskmaster principal and Hoffman’s Father Flynn playing the warm-hearted, affable and avuncular leader of the parish. Aloysius is riddled with paranoia and driven by a self-assuredness that lead her to command her fellow nuns to monitor carefully the goings-on at her school. Duty-bound and gun-shy but eager, the young Sister James (the amazing Amy Adams) concocts a story, by way of very loose circumstantial evidence, that Father Flynn has acted inappropriately with a young altar boy, coincidentally the only black youth in the school.
What ensues in the cat-and-mouse game between Flynn and Aloysius is a meditation on the conflicting ideas of staunch moral certitude and doubt, as outlined wonderfully in Flynn’s opening sermon.
The movie is unadorned and feels as if it was adapted from a staged play, which generally works with this material, especially considering the tight confines of the school serving as the perfect boiling pot. Streep’s Queens accent is a bit much early and almost tends to the caricature, but her nuance, especially in her eyes, retrieve the character from that misfortune.
Despite my love for Hoffman, his characters are often unlikable sorts, living conflicted and often self-hating lives, so it is compelling and ironic that his Flynn, a character accused of the heinous crime of child molestation, is one of the most likable in his career. In addition to the lead roles, and Adams tortured and eager character, there is Viola Davis, who, in one scene with Streep, gets at the heart(breaking) core of the film. There is no point in me describing it here, it simply needs to be watched and felt to be appreciated.
The ambiguity of the characters’ moral dilemmas and the film’s ending, especially considering the context, will leave you breathless. And while “Doubt” may not be 2008’s best movie — the cinematography and direction are uninspired, and artistic attempts at camera angles in a few scenes feel forced — there was not a movie I’ve seen in the past year (at least) that features better acting in multiple roles.
Get showtimes for “Doubt” in Austin here.
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Rolex saved Owen Wilson’s life? Reeeaaally?
Some people consider public relations flacks (whether in-house or hired-out) to be destined for their own circle of hell. But they’re being a bit harsh. These folks are just trying to make a living while promoting the benefits/virtues and/or mitigating the damage of their clients or products. Sometimes.
Then there are pieces like this, that just make you want to claw your eyes out and never watch TV or the Internets again, much less spend a dollar on anything besides kale grown by your next door neighbor.
Melrose Jewelers, a company that “sells nearly 400 styles of Rolex watches on its Web site along with brands including Cartier, Omega, Breitling and Audemars Piguet,” put out this piece of PR flackery that not only overhypes its product to a ridiculous degree, but does so at the expense of actor/writer Owen Wilson’s life and his reported attempted suicide.
From the Marketwire press release on MSNBC:
Rolex: Melrose Jewelers reports that, after a frightening suicide attempt in 2007, Rolex watches appeared to play an essential role in actor Owen Wilson’s recovery. On August 29, 2007, Time magazine reported: “speculation about his drug use, depression over his May break-up from Hudson and a recent fight with a friend have peppered the coverage of Wilson’s hospitalization.” A People magazine cover story out Friday quotes a friend as saying: “Owen was very despondent. He slit his wrists. He almost did not make it.” It was a dark period in Wilson’s life, and Rolex watches played a key role in helping Owen regain his bearings and his success.Although Owen Wilson has worn a Rolex GMT Master in the popular films “Wedding Crashers” and “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” he chooses to wear a Rolex Submariner in his everyday life. It is not surprising that he would make such a choice. The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner originally was designed for diving and known for their resistance to water. The first Rolex Submariner was introduced to the public in 1954 at the Swiss Watch Fair. Copied by other watchmakers, the Rolex Submariner is recognized as a classic, and one of the most widely recognized luxury products in the world. The Rolex Submariner is part of Rolex’s Oyster Perpetual Professional line. After returning home from the hospital, Owen was captured by a photographer walking on the beach, wearing his Rolex Submariner. Later, he was seen riding his mountain bike in Santa Monica with the Rolex Submariner on his wrist. Obviously, the quality of a Rolex watch helped Owen realize and appreciate the quality of his own life.
A celebrity is expected to show up at a multitude of events, and Owen used the Rolex Mentor and Prot´g´ Arts Initiative Benefit in New York City to make his entrance back on the social scene after his crisis. As Liz Smith wrote in The New York Post on November 11, 2007: “THE APPEALING Owen Wilson is easing his way back into public life after hospitalization and a rumored suicide attempt. He appeared — looking good — at the Rolex Mentor and Prot´g´ Arts Initiative gala in Lincoln Center this week.” In contrast, the National Post of Canada was not so kind when they wrote: “And who was that I saw swooping in, last-minute, into a swirl… Well, that was the bad-day-having-of-late clown Owen Wilson, who just that week was also staring out from People magazine with a cover that read: ‘Picking up the Pieces.’”
Whatever the hawks of the media choose to write, it is clear that Rolex played a major role in Owen Wilson’s recovery. Back in good form, the actor is nothing less than a comic genius in a time when comedy is a necessity. Wearing a Rolex Submariner and attending Rolex Benefits helped Owen Wilson realize his life was valuable and worth living. Once again, the precision and quality of a Rolex proves to be a lifesaver in more ways than one.
Come on, Melrose, nothing about how the amazing strength of the band stopping the blade from cutting through to the wrist? De-spicable!
I wonder if Mike B. at Melrose Watches has received any complaints at his listed phone number or email address. Of course, the unfortunate part is that if Wilson has a promotional contract with Rolex, that may allow people like Melrose Watches to use his name and image any way they see fit. Ouch.
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Marat Safin: The Ivan Drago of tennis
He added: “It’s OK, I can survive. Just some small problem that I wasn’t in the right place at the right time. Yes, I won the fight. I’m good, I’m OK.”Safin, 28, arrived on Saturday night and asked for a tournament doctor.
Tournament director, Paul McNamee, said: “I wasn’t sure why he was arriving so late, why he was requesting to play a day later, but now I know why.
“I saw him in the lobby and he didn’t look good. He said, ‘I need two things, I need to see a doctor and I need to practice.’
“So I got the doctor and he gave him some treatment and then Safin went and practiced.”
Despite the bruises, world number 29 Safin combined with his sister, Dinara Safina, to give Russia a win over Italy.
Safin hit 14 aces on his way to a 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 win over Bolelli, after Safina beat Flavia Pennetta 7-5 6-3.
“My serve saved my game today,” said Safin. “I couldn’t ask for a better start than that.”
No word yet on Safin’s alleged reading for the sequel to “Eastern Promises” or about the dust-up Andy Roddick got into outside of a recent Meridian West concert. (For the record, Roddick could kick my ass with his eyes tied behind his back.)
(Photo from AP)
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Jeff Tweedy’s son, Spencer = Budding legend
This has apparently been making the rounds on ye’ olde Internets, but I just saw it today. Apparently Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy’s son Spencer, he of the band formerly known as The Blisters, started a blog at the end of last summer. What on earth could the son of a music legend have to say that I would find informative or entertaining, you may rightly ask. Well, quite a bit, actually, thanks to both the topics and his well-defined writing voice. As with any 13 year-old, he covers on his blog the basics — you know, humorous and irreverent postings about his Bar Mitzvah, spending vacations in New Zealand hanging out with Neil Finn and celebrating his birthday in the company of TV stars. The usual.
Spencer explains the reasons behind his blog thusly:
Beginning in 2007, Spencer Tweedy’s Blog has seen many different faces, its own and others. Whether I’m writing the ramblings of a travel fanatic or those of an internet geek, my blog has come a long way from its beginning. At first, it was solely a review page that analyzed different websites. But as my enthusiasm grew and my writing skills improved, I needed a more wide category to base upon. I tried many; politics, music, technology. But it wasn’t until recently I realized what my blog should be: My blog. Why didn’t it occur to me sooner? The name is ‘Spencer Tweedy’s Blog’ after all! I can write what I want! So, after being reborn on my 13th birthday, Spencer Tweedy’s Blog now stands as a/an [insert appropriate adjective here] figure in the internet community.
I officially feel old and incompetent. Either this kid is genius or has a ghostwriter. Although I am leaning toward the former. However, he does proclaim to be a fan of both the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs, so how much could he really know anyhow? Damn kids.
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Top 8 Movies of 2008
Thinking back over last year (feels so good to call 2008 last year), it wasn’t one of the greatest movie years in recent memory. Of course, it had a lot to live up to, with 2007 bringing us such gems as “No Country for Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood.”
At least that’s my excuse in only being able to come up with eight movies for my year-end list. It didn’t help that I missed out on some movies about which I have read and heard really good things. So, before I give my Top 8, I will confess I did not see the following movies, which very well may have made the list. (“Happy-Go-Lucky,” “Wendy and Lucy,” “Frozen River,” “Waltz with Bashir,” “Rachel Getting Married,” “Doubt,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and “In Bruges.”) I’m sure I’ll get to them soon, and I resolve (among several other things) to get to more movies this year.
1. “Slumdog Millionaire” - A breathtaking, unapologetic tear-jerker of a movie with amazing cinematography that gives a wonderful sense of India and tells a story of love and redemption against all odds. (Of note, screened at Austin Film Festival. Read Chris Garcia’s discussion with filmmaker Danny Boyle here and Charles Ealy’s interview with star Dev Patel here.)
2. “Man on Wire” - Slow-moving, atmospheric story of one man’s ambition and the personal costs of said.
3. “The Wrestler” - If Mickey Rourke doesn’t get nominated for an Oscar, I will eat my hat. Every self-effacing joke, pained expression, hopeful smile and desperate act of trying to reclaim past glory rings true. I can’t imagine anyone else pulling off this role. (Check it out with live wrestling at the Alamo Drafthouse at the premiere on Friday, January 9.)
4. “Synecdoche, New York” - Charlie Kaufman’s tortured and neurotic genius has never been on such wonderful display as with this script. He is once again at his ambiguous best as a writer with a movie that makes some feel tortured and others hopeful. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is simply as good as it gets in a movie that could have used a little more directorial discipline. (Of note, AFF also screened this one. Check out my interview with Kaufman here.)
5. “The Dark Knight” - Visually stunning, complex and somewhat morally ambiguous, this is the best comic book movie I’ve ever seen, and Heath Ledger gives the best supporting performance of the year. Bonus points for the IMAX experience.
6. “Milk” - I was a bit ashamed to say that I did not know the story of Harvey Milk, or the pervasiveness of the legalized discrimination of gay people in America, before seeing Gus Van Sant’s moving biopic. The use of stock footage adds great detail and texture to a movie that Sean Penn carries with heart, soul and dignity.
7. “Let the Right One In” - Vampires seem to be all the rage these days, unfortunately this vampire flick got less attention than the lesser “Twilight.” It’s a beautiful, sparse (thank you, Sweden) depiction of youthful alienation and our desire to feel connected and loved.
8. “The Counterfeiters” - Wonderful performances highlight this morally-charged tale of Jewish concentration camp prisoners and their involvement in forging money for the benefit of their Nazi captors.
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