B-Rock NYLA

Michael Shannon and Jeff Nichols

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Happy Easter: Live Your Life Off The Wall

I just rediscovered Junior Vasquez's remix of this Michael Jackson classic. I love it all over again

Showtime's "Tudors" Posts Bofo Numbers

Well, it looks like all the racy ads in the subway paid off:

Feevee cabler's high-profile, big- budget costume drama notched 870,000 viewers with its Sunday premiere, more than three times the net's 2006 primetime average and well above the debuts of recent success stories "Dexter" and "Weeds."

Add in 404,000 more who tuned in for an 11 p.m. encore of "The Tudors," and Showtime said it had it best series debut night in three years, since the bow of laffer "Fat Actress."

Strong debut makes it more likely Showtime will move forward with a second season of the Ben Silverman-produced skein, though no decisions have been made. For now, execs were simply relieved to have successfully launched "The Tudors," which easily ranks as the most expensive series in the cabler's history. - Variety 4/3/07

870,000 viewers, huh?  Cable TV is so cute.  I didn't watch it, but the ads reminded me of Lady Chatterly for some reason.  Remember that one?  Get reacquainted after the jump.

Decisions, decisions

So, I've finally settled on what this blog is going to blog is going to be all about - movies, television, celebrity, technology. I know, another one, right? Well, I hope to add the conversation something a little different. I settled on this topic because I have an intense interest and it is something I know a little something about. I work in the film/television business, but am by no-means a "hollywood insider". Nor am I a random PA (production assistant) or prop guy. My daily work life, I believe, offers a sometimes interesting and fascinating perspective on the business of show. It will be less about revealing trade secrets and more about my journey from "near-insider" status to my destined eventual status of "Hollywood Insider". So, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. And, by all means, say something.

Technorati Tags: New Mission

Google Twins: How Many of You Are Out There?

Okay, this is pretty random, but a fun time waster anyway. Marc Ramirez of the Seattle Times was surprised to learn that he is not the one and only Marc Ramirez in the country. Hmm....I could have told him that. Neither of his names are particularly unique. He blames Google and the internets for bursting his little fantasy bubble.

I checked my name out on HowManyOfMe and discovered that there are perhaps 5 other people in the country with my name. Not too shabby, though I find it hard to believe until I'm able to talk with one of them. So, check it out. How many of you are out their sullying your good name?!?!?

Technorati Tags: Google Twins

Getting Things Done: iGTD

Okay, I've read the book, "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity" (David Allen). and I've done the requisite brain dump a couple of times. Unfortunately, I then fall off the wagon. You see, I'm so proud off getting all that stuff out of my head that I reward myself with a little bit of nothingness. Then I get motivated again by all the fun, pretty applications. Just this past week, however, I finally settled on EasyTask Manager as my GTD tool of choice. I even plopped down the $20 for the full license -- something I NEVER do. Then, of course, I read about iGTD on the TUAW site and I'm all in lust with a new app. And it is free to boot. Arghhhh. It really is pretty, huh. So, should I spend the rest of my afternoon playing around with the new app or plug along in the one I just purchased on Friday? I know what the answer is, of course. But, what ever will i do?

Technorati Tags: EasyTask, GTD, iGTD

JHud's Next Film Role?

[posted with ecto]

Well, this would be a welcomed development.

From Variety:

Jennifer Hudson may have found her next acting gig, playing the daughter of fellow Oscar winner Forest Whitaker in "Winged Creatures." Robert Salerno is producing the pic through his Unruly Films banner.

While Hudson's reps maintained earlier this week that her participation in the film was tenuous due to the fact that she is recording her first album -- which Arista Records will release in the fall -- all parties acknowledged Wednesday that they were trying to make time for her to join the cast.

Count me among the pleasantly surprised. I have been a big fan of Jennifer's since American Idol. I think she was born to play the role of Effie. I have been more than a little concerned, however, about where she goes from here for many reasons:

1. The role of Effie is so defined by the singing and the voice. To establish herself as an actress she will need to find a dramatic role without relying on her singing voice.
2. The number of significant roles for young Black women in Hollywood are few and far between.
3. The number of significant roles for young curvy Black are even fewer.

Add to all that the fact that Hollywood likes to put people boxes. It will be a challenge for her to break out of the feisty big momma type cast. There is hope, however, when we consider the fact that for the first time we have a decent number of bankable Black male actors in Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Jamie Fox, Terrence Howard and Forrest Whitakker. If more movies are made around these men then there are more opportunities for people like Jennifer. So, I am hopeful. It is interesting and good that it is Jennifer who is in serious consideration and not someone like, say, Beyonce, who would have been the more obvious choice sans DreamGirls. I'll do one of my Star Analysis on Jennifer Hudson and Beyonce this week.

Technorati Tags: Dreamgirls, Jennifer Hudson, Black Hollywood

UN -New York

Another beautiful day in New York. I love this weather ! Just a little more sun/heat and things would be perfect.
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Books: REVOLUTIONARY ROAD by Robert Yates

I never have the time or desire to read a new novel.  In fact, I think every piece of fiction I have read has been because it was assigned to me in school or required for my work.  Given the ton of awful film/television scripts I read for work, I think I'm allowed to neglect that aisle of the bookstore.

So, it is with surprise and wonder that I've come across a novel that I am looking forward to reading just for shits and giggles.  REVOLUTIONARY ROAD by Robert Yates is the inspiration for the upcoming film set to reunite Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.  As if that weren't enough Sam Medes (American Beauty, Jarhead)is directing and Scott Rudin is producing.  Can we say OSCAR?!?

Anyway, I have the script which I will read, but the point of this post is that I actually want to read the book despite having read the script.  This is a first for me.

Variety describes the story thusly:

Yates' heart-rending and bleak tome, celebrated for its storytelling style, follows a seemingly happy suburban couple with two children in the mid-1950s who find themselves caught between their true desires and the pressure to conform -- with explosive consequences.

Not a bad description.  That sounds interesting.  But the breakdown description is what really got me:

Its the story of Frank and April Wheeler, a bright, beautiful, and talented couple who have  lived an the assumption that greatness is only just around the corner.  With heartbreaking compassion and remorseless clarity, the story shows how Frank and April mortage their spiritual birthright, betraying not only each other other, but theirbest selves.

Deal me in.  That sounds amazing.

Real-Time Traffic Monitor

Want to know how many people are checking out your site at this very moment?

Who.Amon.Us has at neat little code that will tell you just that.  Just pop the code on to your site and voila!  And its free to boot.

Check it out here.

(h/t Lifehacker)

Netvibes

The good folks over at LifeHacker (one of my favorite sites that I visit at least once a day) recently ran a story on the popularity of various home pages. I guess I'm a bit slow on the uptake because a few of the more popular options have never even crossed my mind. I had never heard of Netvibes, for instance, and it is one of the most popular. I've pretty much stuck with my personalized Google page and MyYahoo! for years and years. Well, I'm a sucker for new things even if it is only new to me!

Needless to say, I will be checking out Netvibes tonight.

Alpha Geek: Start-page showdown - Lifehacker:
A perennial favorite, Netvibes scores with its effortless customization, mammoth collection of feeds and modules, and all-around good looks. To speed and simplify page setup, Netvibes provides a sidebar (which you can hide, of course) listing a couple dozen popular modules and a collapsible directory of feeds. Drag, drop, rearrange and you're good to go. Naturally, you can also search the site's thousands of cataloged modules, feeds, podcasts, events and user-built tabs (any tab can be published to the Netvibes directory). A recent update added the option to share your own tabs via e-mail, instant message or code embedded in a personal page like MySpace.

Netvibes offers a choice of 10 themes, though they're really just different colors for the page and module headers. You can also adorn each tab with any of a hundred cute little icons, or import one of your own.

Though I do wish for more color-customization options, Netvibes gets just about everything right. It's the page I want to see first when I fire up my browser.

Technorati Tags: Google, Lifehacker, Netvibes, Yahoo

This is a test

From the Pearl! Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Cat On A Shelf

We call him Houston.

Technorati Tags: Houston, Kitty Kat

Back!!!!!!....?

Well, it has been almost six months to the day since I've last posted on this site. Who knew? Sometimes life gets in the way. I wish something, anything exciting had happened during that time. Alas, nothing. Loads of drama, of course, but nothing earth shattering (whatever that would be). But, I'm feeling all sorts of motivated lately. I've jumped on to the Getting Things Done bandwagon and I'm gonna make some shit happen come hell or high water. This time around the site will morph in to a random (yes, I'm embracing my randomness) assortment of commentary on politics (my first love), technology (a still emerging love), productivity and the entertainment biz. I know all the "how to blog" folks say that you should narrow your focus to attract a loyal following, but I figure that focus will emerge eventually. So, here's to starting over and new beginnings...and sobriety!

Check this shit out Off The Wall (Junior Vasquez Remix) by Junior

"Off the Wall" (Michael Jackson)

Ode to 'Grey's Anatomy'

One word: McSteamy!

Yummy, yummy, yummy for my tummy.

More, please!!!!!!!11

more to come...