I've got Instant Messenger up and running on my computer now, so let me know what your screennames are. I, in turn, will instantly message you back with my own screenname. Then you will at last have something to look forward to in your drab little lives.

Also, watch this.

Grow games. They will consume you.

This is going to be a brief update. I have mono. That's short for mononucleoyourlifeisover. I made it through all of goddamned high school without getting mono, and now look at me. DON'T LOOK AT ME!!! Avert your eyes, lest ye be damned as I have been. Reasons why having mono now is a bummer: I may not be able to go to my family reunion. I've only missed it once in my whole damn life. And this was going to be the first time I met my neice. But now...now. How has it come to this? The timing couldn't be worse. I lost my job about three weeks ago. I'm unemployed and I have mono. There's no safety net for people like me. The system doesn't care. It's a cold, heartless system. George W. Bush hates unemployed people with mono. I didn't get to see Valerie when she was in town. Because I have mono. All my friends have forsaken me. Do you know how much Animal Planet I've been watching? You couldn't begin to imagine. I have cabin fever because I don't go out much, because of the mono. It keeps me inside and now I cry when I see the baby clouded leopards separated from their foster parents, even though it's for the good of international clouded leopard breeding programs. This is the survival of the species we're talking about people! But they squeak when they're sad. I dare you not to cry when the baby clouded leopards squeak. You have a heart of stone if you do not. I drink a lot of juice lately.
This made me laugh:


- Scott

I am not on drugs.

Quick thanks to everyone who came out to my birthday celebration on Friday! It's too bad the place was so dead. I think we were actually keeping them in business that night. I hope you all tipped well, since I know the bartenders, and I don't want them all thinking my friends are cheap bastards.
Anyway, I had a great time, and it was good seeing all of you!

- Scott

The performance at Rossini went well. None of you showed up, but everyone's busy so I'll let it go. Unfortunately the weather was very chilly. It didn't rain, but compared to the festivals in the past it was kind of dissapointing. And the crowd was smaller than it should have been because of that. Otherwise, it was good times.

I ran into Teddy at the festival. He came to watch the Pellissippi choir perform, not realizing I was in it. He was in town this week with his wife, Angelina, and 6-month-old daughter, Aphea. He's doing quite well for himself, and currently lives in San Diego. It was great catching up with him.

So, that's it for now. This week marks the beginning of extensive rehearsal for several things, not the least of which is Othella, in which I will be playing the part of Cassio, the debonaire ladies man who gets his achilles tendons slashed in the third act. Zounds!

- Scott

Drown puppies and blind kittens...

Some of you already know, but I'll be performing at the Rossini Festival tomorrow at 4:00. We'll be on the main stage at the corner of Main and Gay (heh heh...main).
There's some talk that it might rain, but the festival has always had beautiful weather in the past, so I remain hopeful.
Anyway, come out and see us if you're not busy. Then sample some wine! Hooray!

- Scott

This is a longshot, but does anyone subscribe to They Might Be Giant's podcast? The reason I ask is that I accidentally deleted the files, and a few days later they removed the first three episodes from iTunes, and I can't find them anywhere.
If you or anyone you know has them, please please email them to me. I'm a TMBG fanatic and try to collect all of their work.

In a related bit: TMBG is playing Sun Down In The City this year! Huzzah!

- Scott

So, apparently there was a really funny episode of South Park about Scientology. When Comedy Central was set to air the rerun, Tom Cruise pressured Viacom and had the rerun pulled. So, he's a jerk. Whatever. Here is Matt and Trey's official press release on the matter:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Scientology, you may have won THIS battle, but the million-year war for Earth has just begun! Temporarily anozinizing our episode will NOT stop us from keeping Thetans forever trapped in your pitiful man-bodies. Curses and drat! You have obstructed us for now, but your feeble bid to save humanity will fail! Hail Xenu!!!

-- Trey Parker and Matt Stone, servants of the dark lord Xenu

These guys never cease to amaze me.

- Scott

Just so's y'all knows: The Pellissippi choirs are having a sacred concert this Sunday evening at 6 o'clock. It's located at the First Baptist church downtown, and it doesn't cost anything. Incentive: I've a got a bangin' solo about bread, and god and stuff.

Also: Tuesday night at the Pellissippi auditorium is the honor's recital. I'll be singing a solo and a duet with my friend Allison. The solo is in French, or as I like to call it, Freedomanian. I believe it starts at 8. I'll update this if the time turns out to be different. Again, there's no cost to get in, so you have absolutely no excuse at all.

- Scott

For the love of god, why? Why?!

For those of you who don't use facebook (and are therefore being robbed of the pleasure of gazing upon the image of my niece) here is a smattering of pictures for you. There are a few more on my facebook site.




Monkey!






Her W.C. Fields impression.

- Scott

I was bored, so I set up an email account and myspace account for Section8 (on the off chance that we may someday resume our comedy revolution.) If you want more info on it send me an email and I'll fill you in.

Here are some opinions and predictions for the Oscars.

Best Actor:
Philip Seymour Hoffman-CAPOTE... I haven't seen this, but I love Hoffman. I'm sure he's deserving.
Terrence Howard-HUSTLE & FLOW... I haven't seen this yet either. I've really enjoyed some of his other work this year. He's gotten a lot of attention this year, and I think we'll see some really great stuff from him in the near future. However, I think he's the long shot for this catagory, simply because this movie hasn't gotten the attention that its competition has.
Heath Ledger-BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN... My absolute favorite to win. If for no other reason than I didn't realize he was capable of a performance this good. He had one of those performances that elevates an already great movie.
Joaquin Phoenix-WALK THE LINE... I really liked his performance, and I don't normally care much for him or his movies. I think the Oscars will pass on him because they've kinda done the biopic thing to death recently.
David Strathairn-GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK... Another long shot I think. This was a small but excellent movie with a very prescient message. Strathairn's performance was solid. I'd love to see him win.

Best Actress:
Judi Dench-MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS... Dench is always good, of course. I haven't seen this yet because it just came out here. But it looks excellent.
Felicity Huffman-TRANSAMERICA... I haven't seen it, but hear her performance is amazing. She plays a man in the process of becoming a woman. People have been raving about her, so I'm guessing she takes the statue.
Keira Knightley-PRIDE & PREJUDICE... This gets the "huh?" reaction from me. Again, I haven't seen it, but isn't this essentially a glorified date movie? And I like Knightley, but I admit it has very little to do with her acting. I wondering who got passed over for this nomination.
Charlize Theron-NORTH COUNTRY... Haven't seen this one either. I love Theron as much for her acting as her appearance. I'm sure she was good in this.
Reese Witherspoon-WALK THE LINE... Eh. She was alright, but not enough to make me think "Oscar". I think she was nominated simply because, like Joaquin, she performed her own songs. I'd be a little disappointed if she won.

Best Supporting Actor:
George Clooney-SYRIANA... He was good, but I doubt he'll win. The competition is pretty tight.
Matt Dillon-CRASH... I really liked Crash and thought Dillon was good in it. I personally wouldn't pick him for this one, but I can easily see the Academy going in this direction.
Paul Giamatti-CINDERELLA MAN... I wouldn't nominate Cinderella Man for much of anything, but Giamatti always turns in a good performance. They may pick him just to make up for his snub for Sideways.
Jake Gyllenhaal-BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN... As good as he is, he's absolutely dwarfed by Ledger's performance. I wouldn't mind seeing him win.
William Hurt-A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE... My favorite in this category (although supporting performances are hard to pick). I believe he has less total screen time than any of his fellow nominees. But his performance is eccentric and nuanced. It would be very cool if he won, but I also think he's a long shot.

Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams-JUNEBUG... She was terrific. I highly recommend watching this. It's on DVD now. Her performance is sweet, endearing, and funny in a very real and natural way. It would be great to see her win, but it's another long shot.
Catherine Keener-CAPOTE... I don't know enough about the actress or movie to have an opinion either way.
Frances McDormand-NORTH COUNTRY... Haven't seen it. Like the actress though.
Rachel Weisz-THE CONSTANT GARDNER... I'd be extremely surprised if she didn't win. Especially since it's one of the few nominations for this exellent movie. For me, she's one of the clearest bets in any category.
Michelle Williams-BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN... But I wouldn't be surprised to see Williams win, either. She was excellent. And it's very possible that the Academy will let Brokeback Mountain sweep its categories.

Best Animated Feature Film:
HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE... I love anything Miyazaki directs. He's the closest thing to classic Disney there is, but he has a distinct style all his own. Since there isn't a Pixar movie this year, I'd love to see this win.
CORPSE BRIDE... This one was actually a disappointment for me. Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my all time favorites, and this didn't come even close. The animation is beautiful, but the story is a little flat. And Danny Elfman's music wasn't nearly as good as his past work. It didn't really fit well into the movie, and felt forced.
WALLACE & GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT... If Howl's doesn't get it, this one has to. I've been a fan of Wallace & Gromit for years, since I first saw the original animated shorts. The full length movie is very good, but seemed to lack something. Maybe Wallace & Gromit just work a little better as shorts.

Achievement in Art Direction:
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE
KING KONG
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
PRIDE & PREJUDICE
My favorite is King Kong. Peter Jackson's vision of Depression-era New York was stunning in a classic Hollywood sort of way. And everything on the island was spectacular.

Achievement in Cinematography:
BATMAN BEGINS
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
THE NEW WORLD
Brokeback Mountain and Good Night... are my favorites. The scenery in Brokeback was stunning. And Good Night... was beautiful classic black and white, which I'm always a fan of.

Achievement in Costume Design:
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS
PRIDE & PREJUDICE
WALK THE LINE
This category usually means "pick a period film, any period film..." I don't have a strong opinion on this, but I'm gonna go with Charlie, because it's the only one that has a creative fantasy element.

Best Director:
Ang Lee-BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Bennett Miller-CAPOTE
Paul Haggis-CRASH
George Clooney-GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
Stephen Spielberg-MUNICH
Go for Ang Lee. His direction was vivid and profound. He took a very difficult subject matter and made it universal. If you don't end up caring about his protagonists than there's just no helping you. Runners Up: Spielberg and Clooney. I would hold off on Clooney just because I think he's got a long career of Directing nominations ahead of him. He impresses me to no end.

Best Documentary Feature:
DARWIN'S NIGHTMARE
ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS
MURDERBALL
STREET FIGHT
I haven't seen some of these. I hear Enron is really good. I've seen Murderball and Penguins. If I had to pick from those two I'd go with the former, just because of it's original subject matter (despite being a sports documentary). Something tells me those darn Penguins are gonna take the gold no matter what. Even if someone else is announced the winner, I envision a mass of penguins storming the stage and taking it by force. And no one will stop them because they're so damned adorable.

Best Foreign Language Film:
DON'T TELL
JOYEUX NOEL
PARADISE NOW
SOPHIE SCHOLL-THE FINAL DAYS
TSOTSI
I'm pissed because this is the first time in years I haven't even heard of any of these, let alone seen them. The studios have been slacking on their foreign releases, apparently.

Best Original Song:
"In the Deep"-CRASH
"It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp"-HUSTLE & FLOW
"Travelin' Thru"-TRANSAMERICA
Again, I don't really know any of these. I've seen Crash more than once, but don't remember the song which makes me wonder if it's worth awarding. I haven't seen the other two movies. Hustle & Flow might seem like a long shot with a title like that, but let us never forget that Eminem has an Oscar. Yes, Eminem.

Best Animated Short Film:
BADGERED
THE MOON AND THE SON: AN IMAGINED CONVERSATION
THE MYSTERIOUS GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORATIONS OF JASPER MORELLO
9
ONE MAN BAND
Haven't seen any of these, but going with One Man Band, because it's Pixar. It will be on the front of their next movie, Cars.

Sound Editing:
KING KONG
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
WAR OF THE WORLDS
King Kong is my first pick because those monsters sounded so damn cool. Plus, the scene where they are attacked by giant bugs is done with sound effects, and only a slight droning musical cue. And it's creepy as all hell. War of the Worlds is my backup pick because the sounds of those tripods was really chilling. Their trumpet calls and laser zaps were actually scary, which can not be easy to do with sound alone.

Visual Effects:
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
KING KONG
WAR OF THE WORLDS
Shamefully, I haven't seen Narnia yet. Damn. Still, I go with King Kong. That ape looked freakin' real man, and the opening shots of New York were amazing. And the bugs, and dinosaurs, and pretty much everything. War of the Worlds had some great effects too, but the aliens didn't seem real enough to me. Nitpicking.

Adapted Screenplay:
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
CAPOTE
THE CONSTANT GARDNER
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
MUNICH
I want Brokeback to win. It was just such a good movie. But other than Capote (which I haven't seen) I think these are all excellent choices. I'd be happy with any of them.

Original Screenplay:
CRASH
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
MATCH POINT
THE SQUID AND THE WHALE
SYRIANA
I would like The Squid and the Whale to win because this is its only nomination and it was a very good movie. Jeff Daniels could have easily been nominated for his work in this. Good Night, and Good Luck is my second choice. They took the story of a historical figure and made it very modern in message. You get to see Murrow pretty much depicting the decline of journalist broadcasting in America (pretty much to the very state it's in now). The screenplay categories are always hard for me to pick because there are always such great ones to choose from.

Best Picture:
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
CAPOTE
CRASH
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
MUNICH
I pick Brokeback Mountain. I think this is the one the Academy will go with. However, if Good Night, And Good Luck won I would be thrilled, because it's the underdog.

Movies you need to see if you haven't yet: Junebug, The Squid and the Whale, Good Night and Good Luck, Brokeback Mountain, Howl's Moving Castle.

Movies I haven't seen yet, but I really want to: The Chronicles of Narnia, Match Point, Capote, TransAmerica, Mrs. Henderson Presents, The New World.

- Scott

I'm not posting on the Oscars just yet. Sorry, sorry. I know you just can't wait to hear my opinions on everything. I just wanted to talk about one of my favorite childhood movies really quick. That movie is "The Dark Crystal", one of the best fantasy films ever made. It's an early Henson classic, so it's just filled to the max with puppets. And who doesn't love puppets? Besides that, it's got a great story about good versus evil, and it does it with a tremendous amount of originality. The creatures are all thought out with their own cultures and intertwining histories. And the creatures are original too, instead of rehashes of old mythological monsters that have been in every fantasy movie ever. And the soundtrack is great, and...what else? It's just awesome.
So why the hell do I bring this up now? Because apparently someone is working on a sequel. This could have been an oh-crap-someone's-about-to-piss-on-my-childhood blog entry. But I'm actually really excited. Because it's being directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. He's the creator of Samurai Jack (one of the few great cartoon shows produced in recent times), and the Clone Wars cartoons. If you haven't seen the Clone Wars, do. Tartakovsky's vision of what Jedi are capable of in battle eclipses anything George Lucas attempted to do in his prequels. There's one episode where Mace Windu takes an entire army of killer drones single-handedly. Without a light saber. It's just him and his force powers, and it makes me giggle like a Japanese schoolgirl.
Anyway, assuming any of you remember The Dark Crystal as fondly as I do, I just wanted to point this out.

Now, they just need to make a sequel to Labyrinth. David Bowie can recap his role as the Goblin King, and Jennifer Connely can play her character all grown up with a family of her own. The Goblin King wants revenge, so he lures one of her children into the Labyrinth...*sigh*

- Scott

You remind me of the babe.
What babe?
The babe with the power.
What power?
The power of voodoo.
Who do?
You do.
Do what?
Remind me of the babe...

Well, the Oscar noms are out. I don't have time to opinionate on them right now, but I will definitely be mentioning them in the near future. Watch this space with antici-

- pation

Also, I hear the President is giving some sort of speech tonight. I'm sure it will be propiganditastic (word copyright pending).

I'll be updating more frequently in the future. I'm currently spending all my free computer lab time scanning every photograph I've taken since grade school. It's a daunting task but they must be preserved for posterity. I've posted several of them on my facebook site. Check it out if you use face book.

- Scott

As of 10 o'clock Thursday night, I'm an uncle. Abigail Martineck was born to my brother Carl and his wife Amy after 22 hours in labor. I repeat: 22 HOURS. Sweet Jesus, she better be worth it.



Here's Carl taking a nap after all the hard work he put in on Thursday.


- Scott