Mad World

It's my first day back at work from Vegas - things are nutty and I am definitely going to be busy for quite some time. Regardless, I have to put a note out on this.

I go to this blog everyday - The House Next Door - it is a writer who posts on cinema and also reviews Sopranos every week. His name is Matt and his work is impeccable.

Today, I went to visit (making a quick visit to all my sites) and discovered a post about him and his wife. Apparently, his wife passed away last night while at home with their kids. She was 35 - no illness - no lifelong smoking habit - just simply slumped over and passed on. Their young son found her.

I am mentioning it because of how this internet world can bring people so close to one another. I don't know Matt personally in any way - but I have corresponded on his site - and I do have a respect for his intellect and opinion. To see this kind of news makes me sad... but also really brings home the fragility of our own world.

I am not sure why... but Tears for Fears "Mad World" started rattling in my head - and I drifted to Donnie Darko, a film that looks at the inevitibility of death and the frustrating lack of reason or understanding of existence.

Matt's loss is great - nothing is going to fix or relieve his pain... but it is amazing to me that he has someone miles and miles away, whom he has never met, thinking of his troubles... and hoping life has more happiness for him.

Call your mom's - kiss those wives - take in a breath and smile at your life... just remember... you get a short time here.

Yo

"How long can you look at a f--king pretty tree before you want to kill yourself?"

Hey folks,

Still in Vegas - I have a brief moment today to do a little blogging. Look for Vegas images and stories next week (including some poker winnings!!).

For right now, we have some major Gilmore news to cover. So, we all know that Amy and Dan Palladino are not coming back to Gilmore next season - and that their replacement is an Executive Producer who has been with them for quite some time... but what we don't know is why all of this is happening!

Michael Ausillio over at tvguide.com has been on the story since its early rumblings - he has an exclusive interview with Amy and Dan that is nothing short of astounding. You get a real sense of their passion for the show and everyone involved... and also, of the sad fact that they are not going to be a part of the 7th season! Amy in particular makes several "jokes" about spending the next year on drugs or drunk.

Please take a moment and read the interview - it is really interesting.

Palladino Interview

I get back tomorrow - I am completely worn out... but Vegas has treated me well. I have not had time to read anything on the blog (I see a Kern post - is that it?) but look forward to it.

Yo

btw - the article makes me want to fetal position up and cry for hours.

Shirt Of The Century

Damfinofriends, gather around and behold the most envied shirt in all of t-shirts in existence today. A nice little one off number I referred to yesterday, but now with sweet, sweet pictorial action.

Behold...The Official Sheriff Officer Greg The Bunny T-Shirt!!!!





Man, so effin sexy it hurts! Thoughts?

This Post Is Lame Without Pictures

Hello all. In a vain attempt to wake up the sleeping giant that is the Damfinoblog, I wanted to let you all know that in the mail yesterday, I received my very own Bunny Out shirt(not shart), which features the picture of Sheriff Officer Greg The Bunny complete with the new The Winnah sash for winning the pull quote contest the other day. It looks awesome, and I will post a picture of yours truly wearing the shirt as soon as the batteries for my camera charge properly.

And please come by and check out my blog if you have a free minute or two. I've been posting again!

-Kern

PS-I miss Jed's presence here at the Damfinoblog. It just feels so empty without him, and...whoa, I think there's leftover cheesecake in the lunchroom. Adios...

Gilmore is Dooooooommmmmmed

Just read an article saying that the creators of Gilmore Girls will not be returning for another season.














I just died a little inside

"I hope it's not a twozie"

This will mark the second week in a row that I will miss the official airing of Scrubs and be forced to watch it at a later time. D@MNIT!

I am working late tonight (auditions - fun fun!!) and have been working my lazy tail off lately - and things don't look any better for the future. So, with my schedule in mind (I leave for Vegas on Friday - don't look for pics cuz I won't be posting any... insert clich'd line here) I was hoping everyone would post for themselves for the upcoming months. I might still drop in for a stupid little addition - but I am tossing things out to the crew. Write as much as you wish.

Latta playas!

(notice Gilmore was not mentioned - for shame!!!)

Yo

The Kern Returns '06: The Dream Realized

Hello to all my Damfinofriends out there. Just a quick word to let you know that the final tickets have been booked for my sojourn back to my old stomping grounds in good old DM.

I arrive on Thursday, June 22 and leave Tuesday, June 27. Which leaves several days for some good, clean debaucherous fun with my friends, old and new.

The final flyer will be posted soon, as well as e-mailed to those of you whose e-mail addresses I have.

In the immortal words of Marvin Gaye, let's get it on.

Hugs and ****,

Kern

The Real Paul Anka - No, the Dog Paul Anka!

I think it is safe to say that none of us are going to be very pleased with the end of this season of Gilmore Girls. We will, of course, laugh at the quips, guffaw at Kirk and his antics and giggle as Lor rambles on about some ironic subject that no one in their right minds would linger on. But no matter what, there will not be a happy Luke and Lorelai - nor will Logan and Rory figure things out. It is going to be ugly.

It seems to me perhaps the bitterness of the creators is infecting the story telling. Last year was really the first time where the series seemed to stand up and declare that they had a dramatic plan - pushing Rory over to the dark side. And this year we have watched the girls go from dramatic moment to dramatic moment - keeping those viewers coming back to see where the story is going. That is not really why I watch the series.

As of right now, it is still not official of Amy and Daniel will be returning for the 7th season. The cast is secure - the show is safe - but the creators might not be on board. Who knows what that might mean for the show... right now, the creators could use a little kick in the butt to get them off this depressing ride we are on! The April mess is going nowhere - Lor is still idling by as Luke drifts away (all in my @ss!!!) - Logan is off to get hurt on some trip (der - can we be a little more obvious!) - and Rory (and the show) just destroyed any value found in having Jess linger in her or anyone's mind. She used him - just like Dean - and then announced that she loved Logan in front of him... that was completely awful! What a selfish prat young Rory has become!

Maybe some new drivers might steer this strong series back onto the road of happiness and we can all drift soundly back to sleep in our Stars Hallow dream world!


The DVR screwed us last night!!! Actually, I messed up! Veronica Mars switched nights on us and Scrubs was bumped from the recording list. So around 8:11ish, we all began to panic, frantically trying to get the remainder of the show recorded.

Actually, Devin hopped on iTunes looking to download the ep but it was not posted - even this morning it was not up! Ho-Hum... waiting and paitience have never been a strong trait for me!

What I saw of the ep was pretty good - Tom Cavanaugh is always a nice addition to the show. I look forward to (hopefully) watching it over lunch.

Got me an amazing 3 hours of sleep last night - feel like I have survived an attack of the brain bug of Planet P from Starship Troopers... "IT'S AFRAID!!!"

Hee hee!

Yo

Projectile Kreitner

The Kreitners received a blessing this week - Drea got herself a new projector!


Looks to me like a Epson arrived - projecting a 96 inch diagonal image.


Oooh - Return of the King... me likesies!


Right now they are using the Mac to power the DVD player - but if the Sheriff can find a way to input the DVD player with full sound to it... we have ourselves a weekend planned!

Well done Kreitners!

Yo

My Happiest Moment!

Have you ever done caligraphy?

I heart Jimmy Choos

Cara and I sat down and watched Curtis Hanson's newest film on Saturday night - and I was somewhat disappointed!

Hanson, in the past, has directed some stellar films! LA Confidential, Wonder Boys, hell, I even love 8 Mile! But I kind of feel like things were a little off with the film; pointing to the Diaz/Collette performances and the "chick-flick" issue of male characters.

Now, I have not read the book (which I have heard is really good) and neither had Cara, so she could not clue me in on how successful the translation was. But I do know Hanson's work, and this picture feels a little scattered.

The casting seemed way off on the sisters; Diaz and Collette have a little spark - but the differences are so major between the two, I had trouble finding a sisterly connection. Also, the man Collette ends up with is completely mis-cast, not providing a grounded role for her to lean on.

I also found some depictions of the father to be flat and cliched. Using his life choices (new domineering wife, closing off of the girl's grandmother) as plot devices rather than character decisions undercut any impact the actor attempted to bring in his scenes. He seemed only to exist to create drama for the women of the film.


George Cukor's 1939 film The Women, used a similar plot device of the male as dramatic fuel for the film, but Cukor was far more sly. In his film, there is nary a male seen throughout the whole picture. Not one! This allows the viewer a far stronger connection to the females and does not waste any time in weighing the decisions of the men. Though, I must admit, the ending (Norma Shearer is seen running towards the arms of her adulturous husband, happy to return to him!) is somewhat difficult to swallow - the impact of the male-less film is far greater.

Hanson fails at making the father real in any way, and actually, drops the ball on Collette's fiance as well- and In Her Shoes suffers because of it.

There are some laughs - the girls share tearful moments. Diaz plays the wh0re quite well, and Collette is always good (though, like I said, she feels a little miscast here!). Maclaine is a little transparent though - which is odd for such a strong female actress. Did she dislike Hanson? The script? I not sure.

Anybody else check it out? Or read the book?

I had an amazing weekend - went bowling with the family, hit some golf balls with Cara and watched the Masters! Got out to see an I-Cubs game. Bought a new I Love the 80's game that is similar to Cranium - that will be cool! And we did a major round of four-square last night the enjoyed a root beer float during Sopranos!

Good stuff!

Yo

Ewwwww

Well, Devin and I plunked down our hard earned $8.25 to go see Slither last night - and overall, we weren't very impressed. Now, granted, we knew going in that this was not going to be Citizen Kane - but sadly, laughs were few and far between.


I had watched a few clips online, including this one where the slugs creep in on the young girl in the bath tub. Not really a bad scene, not scary in any way, but at least shot with some interesting angles and watching her fry the slug with a curling iron seemed funny.

Yet, the scene played very dry in the theater - even boring.


That is not to say that the film does not have it's humorous points. Watching the original slug mother blow up to gigantor size (whilst eating animal remains and raw flesh) did elicit a few laughs from me. "Just hand me a little piece of that possum over there... I am soooo hungry!" But for every funny line there was two others that missed.


The big winner from the film has to be Nathan Fillion! We all loved him in Serenity and Firefly and here, in the Ben Affleck Phantoms role, he brightens up the entire film. In fact, I would venture to say that is Fillion was not present - the film would be near unwatchable. His sly comments - great comic timing - and raw energy, always made his scenes a ball to watch.

This guy needs starring roles!!


Slither is pretty much a mess of foul language, gross effects, and a pretty lame story. But, add a dash of Fillion, and you have what could become quite the cult classic on DVD! Actually, I wish we would had waited to watch it at home, it would have played far better with a beer and a room of friends to truly enjoy the gore.

Rent it in a few months and tell me what you think.

Big weekend! Got an I-Cubs game to go to, gonna hit 9 holes of golf, bowling tonight, dinner out at Sage (a place in Windsor Heights voted best restaurant in Des Moines) and a new Sopranos to top it all off. YAR!

Yo

EAGGGGGLLLLEEEEE!

Mr. Zach Braff turned 31 today! Would it be wrong to send out some birthday love to the man?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZACH!!!

You can schmear that on a bagel!

Yo

Need a chuckle?

Apparently with Basic Instinct 2 bombing, Sharon Stone has turned to labotomies for excitement. Or perhaps her anti-depressants need some reviewing.

From imdb.com news:
Sharon Stone will direct Basic Instinct 3 in Britain, the actress has revealed. The blonde star is keen to continue the franchise - following her return as Catherine Tramell in the recently released sequel - but wants to step behind the camera next time around. Stone, 48, says, "There's a script for the next part of the story - but I would like to direct it rather than star in it. "It will be filmed in the UK again as the setting is more intense and gritty."

She makes me giggle.

Yo

Three times the fun

I think it is safe to say we are all thoroughly enjoying The Sopranos this season. Well, those of us who are watching it (which on this blog might only be one other person - shame on you all). Anyway, Big Love started up the same week as Sopranos did and kind of left me a little cold with the first few episodes. Then - POW!


I was a little frustrated with the show because it just kind of jumped into the polygamist life style without helping understand how any of these people got in it. Bill (Paxton's character) did not seem to be fully enjoying the situation and I wanted to understand how he put himself there. Sadly, the first few eps just kind of set up who we were seeing and what was happening righ then.


Episodes 3 & 4 are where things really started to click. Jeanne Tripplehorn (Bill's 1st wife) has become one of the most interesting and identifiable characters on the show. She is attempting to become a full time teacher - and also deal with being the den mother of the whole gigantic family!


Her eldest daughter (above) has finally started asking questions of how her mother allowed her dad to marry another - and amongst her friends, has started forming quite the negative opinion of polygamy! These two characters and their stories are definitely digging my interest in the show!


Yet also, with episode 4, Bill has peaked my interest by dealing with a dream and elements that find there way into his daily life. Paxton is doing a splendid job with the role and I am really excited to see where things are going with Bill and the Harry Dean Stanton character.


Big Love is definitely starting to pick up creatively! In fact, I would hold episode 4 against a Sopranos episode - well paced, hillariously ironic scenes... and fascinating twists abound! Those of you who can, should check it out. I am thrilled to see where the family moves next!

Slither tonight! Report tomorrow!

Yo!

Scrubs fun

Here are a few Scrubs pics that I found on the NBC site - enjoy.

(BTW Did anyone catch the Gilmore reference last night?!?! Devin was lucky my pants were on!!)

View this clip on Vimeo

View this clip on Vimeo

scrubs 1.mov

scrubs 2a.mov

More TV... YEAAAAH!

Gilmore is back on tonight with a new episode... I gotta wonder if anyone is holding their breath. Amy and Dan are poised to leave the show and this season has been nose diving with the Luke-with child-bit.

Hopefully things pick up.


More importantly, Scrubs is on tonight!

This is Sarah Chalke. Sarah plays Elliot. Sarah is hot.

Bow to Sarah.

It looks like Flop has put out an invitation to his pad for the memorial day weekend. I have looked at the calendar briefly - this summer is bad for Jed - but I have penciled the big Flop/Trish/Ella poker weekend in! We will have to see.

What's up in the world cats?

Yo

Lost Weekend

Somehow the weekend escaped me. I did not get anything accomplished - although I somehow did pass out drunk both Friday and Saturday nights (neither evening was I at a party drinking - it was all done sitting in front of the TV).

Shannon had his 30th birthday party - Cara ran her heart out in Chicago - Josh ventured into $.50 turtle neck land - Devin suffered through drunken Jed giggling his heart out to Scrubs (that is about the best I can do in comparison to Cara) - Jerry cooked a mighty man meal for Sopranos - Sopranos RULED!!!!! - finished off The Shield season 4 - never got out to see Slither - spent waaaay too much at youthful clothing store attempting to buy my way into the fashionably hot world... and I played jump rope.

Mmmmmm - jump rope.

Yo