It's almost 11pm on a saturday night, and I'm watching Florida - Giants on ESPN. Barry Bonds has 754 home runs now, only one short of Hank Aaron's record. When he finally ties then breaks it, which is bond (haha) to happen soon, it's gonna be a biiiiig day, something baseball fans will remember for all their life. For several reasons.
First, breaking the HR record is a big deal. It's a record which brings back memories of Babe Ruth, , who's been broken only once since the babe's era almost a 100 years ago.
But of course, the big deal is all about Barry Bonds, whose use of steroid is widely known. What do you do when someone who you know takes illegal stuff does something amazing? The problem, of course, is that nothing has ever been proven, so even though everybody knows the truth, "every us citizen is considered innocent unless proven guilty", as MLB commissioner Bug Selig puts it.
The same thing happened with Lance Armstrong winning a record 7-straight Tour De France. I still find it amazing Americans believe Armstrong to be innocent. They speak of his unbelievable story, a cancer survivor who comes back to win - 7 times! - the world's physically toughest event, as if it was something to be celebrated.
The truth is, if it's unbelievable, there's a reason for it: because it is not true. How can a smart person think someone who has gone through chemotherapy hell can come back and be naturally fit enough to win a Tour de France, let alone 7?
It is very fitting, I think, that Barry Bonds will break old' Hank's record just when the worst Tour in history is about to finish (several teams retired because their leaders were found guilty of using steroids and other testosterony crap). This might well qualify as the most shameful week-end in sport history. So why do people celebrate despite of all?
In Barry Bonds case, I think the answer has to be profoundly American. Breaking records is as much about looking forward to an always improved future as it is about celebrating a glorious past. Both values are dear to American hearts. Those hearts believe in people's best and to the beauty of sports as a way to push yourself always further. If it is proved in later years Barry Bonds cheated, his record will be taken away, but at least baseball fans won't have missed an occasion to celebrate their sport.
In Lance Armstrong's case, it's a little easier. The Tour shines from France on the whole world. Americans will never let an occasion for one of theirs to become a sport hero. So the US media made sure Armstrong's faults were not widely known (despite France newspaper and tour de france founder "L'Equipe" efforts),and instead destroyed poor (though guilty) Floyd Landis as a scapegoat. Landis is an American, of course, so that makes them look fair.
Finally, why does the Tour de France continues, year after year, stage after stage, despite the growing evidences that the whole sport is corrupted? Maybe it's because simply stopping the Tour seems impossible. Maybe because we all love to watch those guys climb mountains with a smile, the way James Bond haircut stays perfect even after 2 hours of action hell. Maybe the Tour is closer to Hollywood than we think.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Simpsons Movie
Tomorrow opens The Simpsons, the movie. I bet it will break all records. More than Harry Potter, more than Spiderman, etc, etc.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
Question of the Month...
What do Brad Pitt and Kal Penn have in common?
You have until I'm bored to answer. A couple of hours or of days, who knows?
You have until I'm bored to answer. A couple of hours or of days, who knows?
Monday, February 26, 2007
The Worst Oscars (and some of the worth)
OK, even though I'm incredibly happy for Martin Scorses, I have to say, THIS YEAR"S OSCARS SUCKED. SUCKED BIG TIME.
It was long, it was boring, Ellen was BAD.
Here's what was worth saving:
- The last 15 minutes with wins for Martin Scorsese and the Departed, presented by Steven Spielberg and FF Coppolla, two of my idols (let's forget the bearded jerk in the middle. Yeah Lucas it's you).
- Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson singing.
- The KCates (Winslet and Blanchette), georgous as usual.
-Mad props to Forest Whitaker, best actor of the last 10 years, who didn't choke up on stage, for once.
- The crew I watched it with. Special cacededi Sarah & Alex (sorry, you readers obviously don't care).
And especially, the dance troup forming shapes behind that white screen. Wow. My favorite was for The Departed, with the gun shot. Part of the stuff you can't believe even when you see it.
Here's a screenshot from David Spade's Showbiz Show blog:
http://www.theshowbizshow.com/index.jhtml?c=tl&o=51
The Worst:
- Celine Dion singing some random stuff between legends Clint Eastwood and Ennio Moriccone.
- Ellen. Sorry girl, just not funny. And way too stressed out. I actually believe she could be much better if she tried again next year.
- My god, so much more I can't say. Not a star during the first 2 hours, the worst start (no supporting actor and the technical stuff in the first segment?), too many boring montages (the screenplay was my favorite one).
- No interesting dead people. We've heard too much about Altman, Philippe Noiret should'a been the star. Wait for Pete O'Toole to be featured there sometimes soon. And to win the Applaude-o-meter contest for his greatest achievement: seating throught this 4-hour boring as hell telecast. Crossing the desert is nothing in comparison.
FINALLY, LET'S REMIND EVERYONE "THE FOUNTAIN" WAS ROBBED. HUGH JACKMAN AN EASY NOMINEE, CLINT MANSELL WITH THE BEST SOUNDTRACK I'VE EVER HEARD. AND OF COURSE, BEST PIC AND BEST DIRECTOR: DARREN ARONOFSKY.
And that's it. Go see "the departed", "the last king of scotland", "notes on a scandal" the best films featured tonight.
See you soon, and vive le cinema.
It was long, it was boring, Ellen was BAD.
Here's what was worth saving:
- The last 15 minutes with wins for Martin Scorsese and the Departed, presented by Steven Spielberg and FF Coppolla, two of my idols (let's forget the bearded jerk in the middle. Yeah Lucas it's you).
- Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson singing.
- The KCates (Winslet and Blanchette), georgous as usual.
-Mad props to Forest Whitaker, best actor of the last 10 years, who didn't choke up on stage, for once.
- The crew I watched it with. Special cacededi Sarah & Alex (sorry, you readers obviously don't care).
And especially, the dance troup forming shapes behind that white screen. Wow. My favorite was for The Departed, with the gun shot. Part of the stuff you can't believe even when you see it.
Here's a screenshot from David Spade's Showbiz Show blog:
http://www.theshowbizshow.com/index.jhtml?c=tl&o=51
The Worst:
- Celine Dion singing some random stuff between legends Clint Eastwood and Ennio Moriccone.
- Ellen. Sorry girl, just not funny. And way too stressed out. I actually believe she could be much better if she tried again next year.
- My god, so much more I can't say. Not a star during the first 2 hours, the worst start (no supporting actor and the technical stuff in the first segment?), too many boring montages (the screenplay was my favorite one).
- No interesting dead people. We've heard too much about Altman, Philippe Noiret should'a been the star. Wait for Pete O'Toole to be featured there sometimes soon. And to win the Applaude-o-meter contest for his greatest achievement: seating throught this 4-hour boring as hell telecast. Crossing the desert is nothing in comparison.
FINALLY, LET'S REMIND EVERYONE "THE FOUNTAIN" WAS ROBBED. HUGH JACKMAN AN EASY NOMINEE, CLINT MANSELL WITH THE BEST SOUNDTRACK I'VE EVER HEARD. AND OF COURSE, BEST PIC AND BEST DIRECTOR: DARREN ARONOFSKY.
And that's it. Go see "the departed", "the last king of scotland", "notes on a scandal" the best films featured tonight.
See you soon, and vive le cinema.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
The American Idol Factor
I just watched a young texas girl, named Baylie Brown, perform her audition on American Idol. She's super pretty, an awesome singer, and has a great personality. Like Simon Cowell said, born to be a pop star.
Here's what I think: even without American Idol, there's no doubt she would have become a pop sensation right away. And the thing is, she's only 16. Meaning she was 11 when the show debuted. It is more than probable her parents and herself watched the show back then, and decided that that would be where she'd make her start.
And that might happen more and more. Future star deciding to wait till they can audition for American Idol, instead of just finding an agent right away. After all, if they can debut in front of 30 million viewer instead of spending years climbing the charts, why not?
And that's how america's biggest show also became its firt impresario.
Here's what I think: even without American Idol, there's no doubt she would have become a pop sensation right away. And the thing is, she's only 16. Meaning she was 11 when the show debuted. It is more than probable her parents and herself watched the show back then, and decided that that would be where she'd make her start.
And that might happen more and more. Future star deciding to wait till they can audition for American Idol, instead of just finding an agent right away. After all, if they can debut in front of 30 million viewer instead of spending years climbing the charts, why not?
And that's how america's biggest show also became its firt impresario.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
February Fever!
YEAH! It's February! My favorite month of the year after whatever month of the summer I go somewhere under the sun..
Why, will you ask? For most people, February means cold temperature and short days.
Well, let's see, first, I love winter. I love snow. We haven't had a good snow storm here in New York yet, and I miss that. Also, I usually get to ski. It might be only for one day this month, but what the hell, skiing is skiing, and God bless www.nycski.com !
But more important than that, February is the greatest month for Pop Culture! Let's review our calendar...
- Sunday, February 4th, 6PM: Superbowl XLI
Ok, so I've only been to one football game in my life, in August 2003 at Spartan Stadium, on campus (yeah, I'm a Michigan State University Spartan!), and back then I had no idea what it was about.
As a matter of fact, only last year, the most exciting thing in Superbowl XL was his name (what a marketing dream!), and then the fact that, in "Seattle Supersonics Vs Pittsburgh Steelers, 3 out of 4 initials for the teams are S. That's a 1 out of 17576 odd, fellows!
But this year, I just can't wait to see if the Colts will beat the Bears, as I hope they will! Is Peyton Manning finally gonna achieve what we was born for? I tell you people, this is so exciting! I'm not even kidding!
And of course, let's not forget the commercials. Whether they're stupid, fun, gross or simply Microsoft commercials, there's something to think about. And what other day of the year can you wait 2 hours for Domino's Pizza to deliver! (this year, I think I will try Joe's pizza. Because "Joe's Pizza 31 minute delivery is a promise, man!").
- Wednesday, February 7th
LOST returns for only new episodes! Lots of people don't like this third season, but I love it! Cf post a few weeks ago (give me the URL and I'll link it!).
-Thursday, February 8th: Survivor: Fiji, premieres!
Yes, I adore Survivor, the smartest reality show ever. Last season was amazing, I'm still in awe of mastermind and godfather Yul. Another 4 months of excitement. Yoohoo!!!
- Friday, February 16th to Monday, February 19th: I'll be in Savannah, Georgia. You don't care? Fine! (But still, my first time in the South, it's a big deal!).
- February Sweeps!
For those of you who still think TV programming is not an art, and certainly not a science, well... you don't have anything to do here. But let me explain anyway. Every February, all shows are all new, all month long! That's called a sweep folks. It also happens in November and May, but the great thing about February is that Network are sure it only means 4 shows, not 5. That's what 28 days do for you.
So, 4 new episodes of Heroes, Ugly Betty, Friday Night Lights and Studio 60! And that's only for the new shows!
24 is back and better than ever, American Idol is in its first and fun stages, and ER in full drama mode: unfortunately, Laura Inness a.k.a. Kerry Weaver is gone. But she will still direct, and that's great cause she's awesome at it.
- Sunday, February 25th: 79th Academy Awards!
Yes yes yes, I've already talked about that, and I'm not about to shut up. Sure, we all know who's gonna win most races, but for me, the Oscars are also the Broadcast. I'm not talking about big stars walking the red carpet, I'm talking about how the host will do (this year it's fantastic Ellen De Generes), who's gonna be spoofed in the opening monologue, whose speech is gonna be fun (let's hope Borat gets one for Adapted Screenplay), who's gonna cry.
And mostly, is Forest Whitaker finally gonna be able to say something when he gets his Best Actor Oscar?
One race still up for grabs: I thought "The Departed" was a sure bet for best picture, but could "Little Miss Sunshine" pull the upset and "Crash" the party, as they did at the Screen Actors Guild last week-end? Yeah, even more exciting!
Do you know where my "Joe's Pizza" quote is from? Did I forget something? What are you looking forward to in February dear reader? And what is your favorite month of the year. Tell me!
Why, will you ask? For most people, February means cold temperature and short days.
Well, let's see, first, I love winter. I love snow. We haven't had a good snow storm here in New York yet, and I miss that. Also, I usually get to ski. It might be only for one day this month, but what the hell, skiing is skiing, and God bless www.nycski.com !
But more important than that, February is the greatest month for Pop Culture! Let's review our calendar...
- Sunday, February 4th, 6PM: Superbowl XLI
Ok, so I've only been to one football game in my life, in August 2003 at Spartan Stadium, on campus (yeah, I'm a Michigan State University Spartan!), and back then I had no idea what it was about.
As a matter of fact, only last year, the most exciting thing in Superbowl XL was his name (what a marketing dream!), and then the fact that, in "Seattle Supersonics Vs Pittsburgh Steelers, 3 out of 4 initials for the teams are S. That's a 1 out of 17576 odd, fellows!
But this year, I just can't wait to see if the Colts will beat the Bears, as I hope they will! Is Peyton Manning finally gonna achieve what we was born for? I tell you people, this is so exciting! I'm not even kidding!
And of course, let's not forget the commercials. Whether they're stupid, fun, gross or simply Microsoft commercials, there's something to think about. And what other day of the year can you wait 2 hours for Domino's Pizza to deliver! (this year, I think I will try Joe's pizza. Because "Joe's Pizza 31 minute delivery is a promise, man!").
- Wednesday, February 7th
LOST returns for only new episodes! Lots of people don't like this third season, but I love it! Cf post a few weeks ago (give me the URL and I'll link it!).
-Thursday, February 8th: Survivor: Fiji, premieres!
Yes, I adore Survivor, the smartest reality show ever. Last season was amazing, I'm still in awe of mastermind and godfather Yul. Another 4 months of excitement. Yoohoo!!!
- Friday, February 16th to Monday, February 19th: I'll be in Savannah, Georgia. You don't care? Fine! (But still, my first time in the South, it's a big deal!).
- February Sweeps!
For those of you who still think TV programming is not an art, and certainly not a science, well... you don't have anything to do here. But let me explain anyway. Every February, all shows are all new, all month long! That's called a sweep folks. It also happens in November and May, but the great thing about February is that Network are sure it only means 4 shows, not 5. That's what 28 days do for you.
So, 4 new episodes of Heroes, Ugly Betty, Friday Night Lights and Studio 60! And that's only for the new shows!
24 is back and better than ever, American Idol is in its first and fun stages, and ER in full drama mode: unfortunately, Laura Inness a.k.a. Kerry Weaver is gone. But she will still direct, and that's great cause she's awesome at it.
- Sunday, February 25th: 79th Academy Awards!
Yes yes yes, I've already talked about that, and I'm not about to shut up. Sure, we all know who's gonna win most races, but for me, the Oscars are also the Broadcast. I'm not talking about big stars walking the red carpet, I'm talking about how the host will do (this year it's fantastic Ellen De Generes), who's gonna be spoofed in the opening monologue, whose speech is gonna be fun (let's hope Borat gets one for Adapted Screenplay), who's gonna cry.
And mostly, is Forest Whitaker finally gonna be able to say something when he gets his Best Actor Oscar?
One race still up for grabs: I thought "The Departed" was a sure bet for best picture, but could "Little Miss Sunshine" pull the upset and "Crash" the party, as they did at the Screen Actors Guild last week-end? Yeah, even more exciting!
Do you know where my "Joe's Pizza" quote is from? Did I forget something? What are you looking forward to in February dear reader? And what is your favorite month of the year. Tell me!
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