TOP CHEF: The primaries

TOP CHEF is back in its seventh installment, and this season the action is in Washington D.C. Personally, cooking shows are all about the locale for me, as they're akin to the REAL WORLD or JERSEY SHORE. Oh wait, i don't give a flying fart where the show is, as long as there are good competitors and good challenges.
Unfortunately, the former appears to be lacking in this season, which feels more like Hell's Kitchen. HELL'S KITCHEN fills its ranks with cocky cooks who Gordon can tear to bits when they inevitably fail to cook his risotto. Things aren't quite that bad, but the talent level does appear much weaker this season than in the past. Additionally, the personalities are lacking. After one episode there was no one i could root for emotionally, only some obvious favorites in the talent department.

The one substantive change is the inclusion of French Eric as a permanent judge. He offers biting criticism that may not have the creativity of the British bald guy (i'm thinking Toby?), but he is poignant and pulls no punches. His best attribute is the way he stares at contestants like they're talking gibberish and he hates them.
I would break the show down further, but with a million contestants it is tough to make sense of it all. So here are some of my discombobulated thoughts.

-Stephen Hopcraft (40) originally bothered me with his "leaving my family behind" drama. C'mon buddy, you're happy to be out of the house. The only positive sign was how excited he got about everything, including box dice he made.
-Tracey Bloom (34) is the first HELL'S KITCHEN type candidate. She's obese, which Gordon loves to pick on, and she's overly confident, which Gordon loves to destroy. She's extremely annoying and has no redeeming qualities. This may be one of the situations where her head should be slammed in a GE MONOGRAM oven.
-Kenny Gilbert (36) is one of the two favorites. He is also one of the many black people that makes up this diverse crowd for TOP CHEF and the BRAVO network in general. Someone made note of the fact that no black person has won, and i think Kenny could be that guy. He's a good chef with his eyes on the prize, as evidenced by his well reasoned plans for victory, but he's not charismatic or appealing in anyway. Hopefully he'll grow on me, though, because he's my candidate in my TOP CHEF pool. At the very least he could be a good villain in the vein of Michael V from last season.
-Alex Reznik (33) is someone i really want to like, as he's exotic looking and semi-foreignerish. The problem is he doesn'thave an accent, which is lame, but he is redeemed by an erratic personality.
-Kelly Liken (33) is the Amy Ryan lookalike on the show. Honestly, the comparison is uncanny. She's supposed to provide some of the sex appeal for the show. Currently i'm not feeling her, but as the season goes along i'll start to talk myself into her on the basis that she looks good by comparison.
-Speaking of people I need to talk myself into, I'm a little worried about the new voluptuous Padma. She obviously hasn't lost any of the weight from her kid, and as a result i've been rationalizing my attraction to her on the basis that she's just curvy.
-Speaking of heavy judges, Gail Collins better be pregnant or else she better go the gym and stop eating. My friend Bill doesn't completely agree with this assessment, as he feels her boobs have been downsized since last season. I can't comment, since i've been mostly focused on her stomach that's trying to escape her dress. But she was described as “luscious” on the show, and I can’t decide if it was meant to be ironic or a slap in the face.
-Rooftops don't work for Tom because the sun glares off his dome. He should live below the surface of the earth with the mole people.
-One lady who isn’t getting it done is Lynne Gigliotti (51), this year’s Robin if she can last as long. Robin was the old crazy lady, and Lynne is the boring crazy lady. She’s already said she’s not “flashy,” which is code for not talented or creative. Plus, she’s an instructor, which suggests any talent she had has been drained from her and she’s resigned to teaching people even worse than her. She’s another perfect candidate for HELL’S KITCHEN, to the point where I remember an instructor just like her.
-Glad to see Team Rainbow lives on with Arnold Myint (33), whether he knows it or not. From the first time he promoted his scarf to his referencing of his motivational staff dance I realized that he’s just on the show to be a character. THIS IS A DEVELOPMENT I HATE!!!
-Speaking of things I hate, Michael I from last season. That cocky bastard was so annoying, and he’s back in a fatter package in the form of Kevin Sbraga (31). They both share a strong Jersey vibe and some Italian heritage.
-Love Ed Cotton’s (32) inferiority complex. What’s even better is that he dated this year’s hottie…
-…Angelo Sosa (35). This guy is a babe in the vein of Fabio crossed with Michael V. His use of hair gel is definitely a good sign, and the fact he won the first quickfire and elimination challenge. Was a little bummed out that he’s not a foreigner, but I was happy that he looks exactly like Assemblyman Molinaro. He went down a few pegs in my book with his “heh heh heh, I win,” comment. And even though I like his baseball roots, I find it impossible to root for this title contender.
-Unfortunately my distant relative, Jaqueline Lombard (33. This number keeps popping up) doesn’t seem to strong. She is “self-taught” and relies on recipes for things she has made hundreds of times. This is pathetic and doesn’t bode well for her future.
-On the fence about Timothy Dean (40), who has the strong sausage root from his illegitimate grandfather Jimmy, but he seems superduper over confident.
-John Somerville (42) not only looked like the organic vegan guy, he probably smelled like him too. He ended up being a little more grounded in reality than I originally anticipated, but it made sense that he was leaving. He was more of a HELL’S KITCHEN kind of guy with his fringe personality and gimmick flavors.
-The real strength lies in Amanda Baumgarten (27), who is the sneaky hot competitor, also known as this season’s Leah!
Not sure who will give in to her feminine wilds, but she is smoking hot and has some personality too. Hopefully she’ll get to flaunt both of these in her brief time on the show.
Finally, I’m glad the quickfire wasn’t elimination. It always felt too arbitrary and even though I didn’t really learn anything from it, I feel like it demonstrated how weak this group might be. The problem is that it’s impossible to break the group down this early, as people can skate by early on. My overally impression was that Kenny, Alex, Angelo and Kevin were the strongest chefs, but I could be forgetting one of the women.
What did you think????? Love the new setting? How do you like this cast? What are you hoping for???

The Robbery: TOP CHEF style

So I hope you're getting excited for TOP CHEF, because I am. As always, though, the show leaves some of the best footage on the cutting room floor. In this clip we learn that two of the chefs dated the same girl. What makes this amazing is how much hotter the one guy is than the other, and how no one believes they both had the same girl.



Stay tuned for my full recap of the first episode and preview of the seventh season!!

The Enjoy VOID

I've been on a Michael Connelly kick for about two months. Maybe it's been longer, but it feels like a whirlwind ride that i just can't quit.
My main focus has been the novels revolving around Harry Bosch. My entry into Connelly was through his Bosch series, and I've devoured ten of his adventures. In that time I've also tried out three of his other characters with varied success.
The best was Mickey Haller, who I experienced in the LINCOLN LAWYER. THis book was on par with the best Bosch had to offer. A distant second was THE POET, which is Jack MacEvoy and Rachel Walling. They were both duds as characters and the book relied heavily on the fantastic chase they were on.
Bringing up the rear is Cassie Black, the protagonist of VOID MOON. Black was unlikeable, unsympathetic and uninteresting. I found myself routing for her antagonist with surprising vigor.
Briefly, the book is about a reformed robber who is trying to go straight. She is plagued by the memories of her past, and ultimately decides to return to her old life for one big score. Once again entangled in her old life she is pitted against her old nemesis. Basically there's a lot of sad reminiscing and a disappointing conclusion.
THe main problem with this book is that it relies so heavily on descriptive actions. I don't tune in to Connelly to read how he sets a scene. He writes great dialogue and crafts intricate stories, except he traded both of those in for gadgets and g-strings. (Ok, so there's no g-strings, but i liked the "g" sounds. For reading my ridiculousness i'll give you this quick story: I was at the ymca tonight, sweating away a pint of ice cream on the eliptical when a Rihanna's "Rude Boy" came on.
I only learned the name after looking it up, but the song was very familiar. It was after a few seconds that I remembered where I'd heard the song and why it stuck in my head. I recently had my first trip to a stripper club, and during my private lap dance the stripper sang this song while "dancing." Anyway...)
This story gets bogged down in spy craft, as evident by the fact that Connelly thanks the people who helped him learn about all these new technologies. It feels like he wrote this book for the sole purpose of letting his inner child run free. Turns out his inner child isn't much of a writer.
Oh well.

True Blood: Season Three Premier

It’s back! America’s favorite soap opera about vampires, other weird stuff and Lafayette has returned with the same reckless abandon that it debuted with in season one (times about a million).
What was once just a weird niche show from the brain of SIX FEET UNDER creator and AMERICAN BEAUTY scribe, Alan Ball, has become the current sexy wunderkind for HBO. In the process it has evolved into a massively ambitious endeavor that comments on all aspects of American life and doesn’t shy away from male nudity. In fact, it’s probably a show about male nudity, which coincidentally touches on other topics. In the season three premier we have one naked woman and four naked men. Thank you for showing that men can have great asses too.
In between those buns of steel (ew), we were thrown back into the world of mythological mayhem and dramatic intrigue. Picking up immediately after season two we were left with these realities: Eric has been selling V for the Queen and this could be a problem, Jason shot Eggs and Andy is covering it up, Bill was kidnapped, Sookie was screaming, Tara was weeping, Jessica was dealing with boy issues, Hoyt was dealing with mama issues, Sam was dealing with family issues, our small town sheriff was up to his ass in dead bodies and NO ONE HAD MOURNED THE LOSS OF CARL YET!!!!!!
So that was a lot to handle, even if you’re a devoted fan of that show, and this speaks to the sprawling narrative the show has become. What used to be focused on the relationship of Bill and Sookie has grown into the most widespread ensemble piece since The Wire. And based on the first episode, I think they’ve found the right equation to balance all the different players. Obviously it makes for intense pacing akin to 30 Rock, but the show still finds time for appealing sets and the occasional breather.
The core appeal of the show, for me at least, appears evident from the start. I’m a huge fan of the wit on the show, which is characterized by a playful nature and sense of ridiculousness. No one executes these finely crafted lines better than Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) and Eric (Alex Skarsgard). Eric in particular is my favorite this about this show, with every appearance a pure delight. We were reunited with him in the premier during a six hour love fest he was engaging in at his bar with the new dancer. He immediately paused his task to engage Sookie, as he listened patiently to her vent her concerns while he was standing completely nude and presumably fully erect. Like I said, playful and ridiculous.
While acknowledging the best of the show, it’s important to point out that Tara (Rutina Wesley) is annoying as ever. Honestly, I am praying she is allowed to kill herself. We’d all be better off if she was dead. I’m hoping for a “It’s A Wonderful Life” moment, which just reinforces the fact that everyone would be better off if she was dead.
Unfortunately, this looks doubtful, but we do have werewolves to look forward to. And it looks like they won’t be lame TWILIGHT werewolves. This show isn’t for tweens, which is why our vampires will be sexy burly older men with scruff and plenty of nudity.
We also have a ton of different hookups, with almost everyone establishing some sort of relationship this season. This could be fun, depending on the casting, but I’m worried about the ever widening scope of the show. While I may not want order on the show, controlled chaos is more what I’m looking for.
Yet, I tune in for the soap opera nature, so maybe I’m lying to myself. I like getting swept away in this off the charts nutty show that may not be as complicated as LOST, but definitely has the same number of WTF moments.
Speaking of LOST, TRUE BLOOD has seen a surprising uptick in viewers since its inception. It is now an HBO heavyweight, pulling in over 4 million viewers for the live episodes. This number would be drastically anemic on network television, yet on pay cable it is outstanding. I kind of wish all my favorite niche shows would be allowed to survive on pay cable. I know there are people like me who are willing to pay for it. I feel like the hardcore LOST fans would have tuned in on pay cable, as we’re rabid insane people who want our answers no matter the cost.
Back to the show, though, which seems promising. I am excited for the vampire politics, which has created an awkward tension between Eric and his Queen (Evan Rachel Wood) and the issues that will arise surrounding the King’s relationship with werewolves. I love diving into this world, especially if it draws parallels to the political culture in America. This development also means I get more Evan Rachel Wood and Zeljko Ivanek (the Magister), who are perfect as vampires. She’s the right paleness and he’s the right dry creepy deadness.
With all that in mind I anxiously await the next episode. In the meantime, tune back in here for my upcoming podcast with Alex Ventre about the show. Any thoughts on what we should talk about???

Almost Found: Lost finale part 1

(Editor’s Note: Here is the long awaited LOST series finale recap and review. David will parse out the events of the finale and their meaning. There will be some big picture talk in terms of mythology, but for a larger retrospective about the show you’ll have to wait a few months. P.S. I look forward to those months. Sooo sick of LOST. Oh yeah, this is just PART 1.)

“This is the end. Beautiful friend. This is the end. My only friend, the end. Of our elaborate plans, the end. Of everything that stands, the end. No safety or surprise, the end. I’ll never look into your eyes…again.”

And that’s true, because as Jack’s eyes closed for the final time we saw his journey come full circle and the end of our ride with LOST.

It was a journey that begun with a bumpy plane ride full of troubled souls searching for redemption, absolution and wholeness. In the end, it took a limbo medium to provide the ultimate level of oneness that allowed our Oceanic passengers to move on in their journey.

The finale provided meaning to the big question of the season: WHAT ARE THE FLASH SIDEWAYS?!?!?!?

From the episode and Christian’s summation we are to understand that the sideways world is a post-death limbo created by the friends of Oceanic to ensure that they’d all meet up and proceed into the afterlife together. We’ll get to that big picture stuff in a bit, but let’s deconstruct the episode first.

In the penultimate episode we got the successor to Jacob, and it was the obvious Jack. Jack, the man without a purpose, except that he thought everything constantly needed his fixing. The role of island protector represented the perfect task for him, as it was a job that he would never complete and would live longer than him. It was Man in Locke (MiL), who put this all in context for the viewers, when he characterized the transition as predictable. Sawyer gave us the first, albeit brief analysis of the move, which was that it would feed Jack’s god complex. And so what if it did? Now Jack had a task worthy of his religious devotion to fixing.

As the new Jacob, Jack only knows that he needs to stop MiL at all costs. He is vaguely aware of the precise nature of the stakes, but he recognizes their potent meaning. In the first half of the episode, this manifests itself primarily in grandiose marches through the jungle accompanied by the swooping score of LOST. (I would go on hikes if someone would pipe this stuff in throughout the mountain. Seriously, I would charge up mountains with the purpose of saving the island or fighting The Others.) But the marching isn’t without purpose, as Jack has taken his task quite literally. His role as protector of the island’s light means that he will guard it like a goalie, and essentially set up camp in front of it.

This idea is sidetracked by the presence of Desmond, who represents the wild card. He may be a tool for MiL or the saving grace for the castaways. MiL and Jack both believe that Desmond is a weapon for their side, which is why they each have no problem utilizing Desmond.

As the weapon, Desmond is the third variable in this equation. Luckily, he too is fully committed to playing things out. His belief stems from the fact that he is aware of the sideways world.

DESMOND HAS SEEN THE FLASHES!!!!
Desmond is keenly aware of what awaits the castaways. In the aftermath of his exposure to the light by Widmore, Desmond caught a glimpse of the sideways world. Unfortunately for Desmond, he thought this world was the product of his actions.

To be fair to Desmond, he’d been told constantly that the he was special and that the island wasn’t done with him.
It makes sense that he would have inferred his purpose as the creator of the sideways world. His confidence was based in strong logic, since he’d experience the sideways world not once, but twice. Yeah, that’s what I said. And here’s why…

So yeah, I’ve been preaching the importance of the season three episode, “Flashes Before Your Eyes,” for a while now. Remember the episode? In the aftermath of Desmond blowing up the hatch, and letting out a lot of light, he woke up in a world where he didn’t belong. Why didn’t he belong? Because he wasn’t dead!

Ok, so I was a little misleading, because I don’t think Desmond was actually in the sideways world we saw in season 6. I think we were seeing a Desmond-centric sideways world in that brief exposure (we’ll get to the Jack-centric sideways world in a bit). In Desmond’s flash he is able to relive the most important time for him, which was the evolution of his relationship with Penny. In this reality he was poised to make Penny his wife, a momentous step that he’d flubbed the first time around. If he had been able to pull this alternate future off he would have moved on too early, which is why Eloise cautioned him against bucking his future. She was basically ensuring that he wouldn’t move on too early.

The other important aspect of this episode is that it lends credence to the idea that the season 6 flashes were a product of “the incident.” If we think about the explosion of the bomb, we know that Jack blew it up to erase the past. He wanted to create a world where the departed wouldn’t have died on the island and all the bad experiences could have been avoided. Turns out Jack couldn’t make all of that happen, at least not in terms of his understand. But, and this is an important but (like J-Lo’s butt) he succeeded in this goal.

JACK REUNITED EVERYONE!?!?!??!
So yeah, Jack may not have saved everyone in their actual lives, but by detonating Jughead he created the sideways world and ensured that everyone would be reunited and have a chance to avoid the bad things of the island. He made sure that Oceanic did land, even if it was in a separate reality.

My belief in this idea stems from the fact that Desmond’s reality was the product of an explosion of light. With “the incident” we had a larger version of Desmond’s explosion, so it’s fair to believe that we could see amplified effects.

Don’t believe me? Well dead Juliet believed me. She said, “it worked.”
Ok, so it didn’t work in recreating the timeline, but the goals of the bomb detonation were achieved. Everyone was united and our castaways were given a new lease on life.

MORE TO COME....

Gleeful Podcast

So with the Glee finale a few days in the bag, i sat down with my friend Steve Wuest to breakdown the finale and the season. We ramble on for a while about the things we hate (story lines), people we love (Brit and Other Asian) and moments we keep coming back to ("My Life Would Suck Without You" vol. 1 finale).

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You'll notice we got cut off during recommendations, so here is the last two minutes of the show.

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At one point I mention Josh Groban's tv medley from the Emmy's, and here is that video.

WTF!!!

Ok, so i'm 18 minutes into the season finale of GLEE. Things are going great, as I've been emotionally won over by the Journey mash-up. As these twenty something high school kids tap back into their roots i'm forgetting about all the terrible story lines. Heck, i'm fighting back tears as I watch these young bastards sing their hearts out.
And then, it happens...
QUINN'S WATER BREAKS!!! WTF!!! She is the skinniest pregnant lady ever!!! I'm surprised she didn't crap out the kid. UGH...

Daybreakers: Eh...

I am a sucker for Vampire entertainment. I also love end of the world scenarios. Give me a little twist on all of these, and I'm halfway toward Bone Er town USA. (I can provide ladies with directions.)
With all that in mind, the movie DAYBREAKERS represented a very promising film. Apparently not that promising, though, as the movie waited about two years for a release date.
The premise of the film is a world where almost everyone is a vampire, which means their supply of human blood is running out. A small cabal of vampires are trying to find a blood substitute so they can sustain their lifestyle, but things aren't looking good.
Ethan Hawke plays a reluctant vampire who is trying to find a blood substitute. He is motivated by his revulsion surrounding what he's become. Become of his altruistic motives Hawke gets to play his role with an annoying bravado that primarily revolves around sullen looks and droopy eyes.
Hawke's enemy is Sam Neil, his boss early in the movie. Sam loves being a vampire. Not much more to say about him than that, except maybe the fact he's supposed to represent faceless corporations that are ruining American society. I'm sure there's some sort of metaphor like that in the movie, but it went either way over (or way under more likely) my head.
Oh yeah, but back to the plot, which introduces the revelation that the vampire condition can be reversed. We learn this fact through Willem Dafoe, whose character, Elvis, became human again after brief exposure to the sunlight. With this knowledge in hand, Hawke wants to recreate the experiment and hopefully offer a cure for vampires.
We're left with a bit of a cliffhanger surrounding the future of the vampires, although there is some suggestion that things will work out and they'll return to their humanity.
The only good thing from this movie is Dafoe, who embraces the manic gravitas that the late Dennis Hopper cultivated so well in the second half of his career. This is particularly relevant considering Dafoe succeeding Hopper as the villain in the SPEED series. Dafoe says weird catch phrases, yells and basically looks like he's still a vampire for most of his performance. I loved it.
Hated everything else about this movie. Brother against brother element, awful. Evil corporation, boring. Downfall of humanity, eh. Action, so boring! Intrigue, sorry, i fell asleep.
Finally, I just want to point out some failed foreshadowing in the movie. They let us know early on that there is a walkway the vampires can use during the daytime. Why didn't Hawke and company utilize this by exposing light down their for a brief time once they found out that this was the cure for vampires? Set up some mirrors and let the sun in for a few seconds, and boom, problem solved. Instead they choose a much less logical route that is as fulfilling as the piss poor blood substitute.
If you want to watch good vampire stuff you should devour TRUE BLOOD. If you need good end of humanity stuff, how about THE MATRIX? As for the Apocalypse, MAD MAX.
I wanted to like this movie, and in hindsight, it might be so bad it is good. Unfortunately i'm still too close to the train wreck to have that kind of perspective.

Giving You THE BUSINESS

A magazine like ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY sets off my entertainment geekdom with its inside baseball conversations, but that taste was a just a bite compared to the feast that is KCRW's THE BUSINESS.
THE BUSINESS is hosted by Kim Masters, who previously covered general business stuff for NPR. Now she dives deep behind the scenes of the entertainment industry, as she explores a host of issues, including how movies get made, awards and the fall tv schedules. Masters demonstrates obviously knowledge of her industry, but the most compelling aspect of her hosting is her inquisitive nature. She asks the questions I wonder about as an outsider.

Below is a link to a recent episode where Masters talks about a movie financier from the Middle East and an interview with Michael Sheen.
Hollywood's Strange Bedfellows; Actor Michael Sheen - The Business on KCRW

My Idol

Whil I didn't watch AMERICAN IDOL this season, I've still managed to come up with some opinions about the show. Essentially it comes down to Lee sucks, Crystal rules and Siobhan never got her chance to shine.
But don't take my word for it, why don't you check out some of these videos. Don't worry, I won't waste your time with Lee's weak ass attempts to sing.

1. This is the breakout performance for Crystal this season. She cemented her odd niche on the show and demonstrated that she was a class above the competition. Here she is with ME AND BOBBY MCGEE.


2. But guess what, Crystal could go mainstream, as she illustrated with her rendition of MIDNIGHT TRAIN TO GEORGIA. I dare you not to go buy this on iTunes right now.


3. Yet, while I recognize that Crystal was the most talented contestant, my love is reserved for Siobhan Magnus. With her tatoos, piercings and wackjob attitude I was completely in love. She filled the space in my heart I have reserved for lovable outcasts. I really can't express how much I love her.
Oh yeah, she also sings, and here she is with the ROllING STONE'S "Paint It Black." Her slowed down and dramatic rendition is great.


4. But to be fair, let's acknowledge the talent of Crystal one more time. I was a fan of Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason," but I think I'm a bigger fan of Crystal's version. What do you think?


Ok, that's the 9th season of American Idol in a nutshell. If i can think of anything important you should know, I'll let you know.

First PODCAST!!!!

This is the inaugural podcast of Entertainment Daily. (I hope I'm using inaugural right.)
For our first show we've got Zach Smith, who will be giving us a brief review of the movie THE ROAD.
Fair warning, there are spoilers in this podcast and the sound quality isn't spectacular.

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In the future you can look forward to me breaking down GLEE with blogger ENTERTAINMENT DAILY FAN and a host of other guest stars. Give us feedback on who you like and what you want to hear about.

For the Web's eyes only

Video exclusively for consumption on the internet has been a growing trend of late. LOST used to put tidbits of extras online and THE OFFICE went so far as to create some of the first webisodes. Now, it is common for shows to promote themselves with additional footage online. Typically it is stuff that will be the DVD extras in the form of deleted scenes or interviews.
TOP CHEF: MASTERS offers additional footage online. I'm a huge fan of this move, as I've constantly advocated for this show to run twice a week, on the basis that there must be tons of extra footage that gets wasted. Below is a quick clip of web exclusive footage.

How the Other Half Doesn't Live: No TV

I am always shocked by people who don't consume 10% of the entertainment I do. For that reason, I sat down with my friend Kareem Ghobrial to discuss his odd life style. Sure, he has a job and participates in non-loner activities, but I still wanted to understand his motivations. You are the benefactor of my investigation.

Dave Lombardo: What was the last movie you saw in theaters?

Kareem Ghobrial: (Stares at me blankly) Avatar. Before that, Iron Man.
DL: Why AVATAR? Who was the girl?
KG: Heard it was a good movie and that the best way to see it was in 3D. DIdn't want to see it on DVD.
DL: What was the last DVD you bought?
KG: (Rips off his shirt to expose his Egyptian physique.) I think Million Dollar Baby. (I now understand he was providing me with a visual aide.)
DL: What tv shows do you follow?
KG: HOUSE. 2 and a half men.
DL: WHat did you think of the HOUSE finale?
KG: Didn't see it?
DL: So can you define what following it means to you?
KG: I FOLLOW Two and a half men. I watch it every Monday. I watch HOUSE when I can.
DL: SO why do you think shows geared toward the lowest common denominator in society appeal to you?
KG: (He slaps me) I spend enough time thinking during the day.
DL: What is your favorite movie?
KG: (20 minutes later) I liked V FOR VENDETTA.
DL: Why?
KG: A lot of symbolism, and i thought it was interesting how history was repeating itself. By that i mean, i think it was originally based on politiking in England. Well, based on the comic book, which had to do with the political struggle in England after WWII. I thought the same argument made then could be applied to contemporary politics.
DL: SO you like meaningful crap in your movies?
KG: Yes.
DL: Have you seen stuff like Children of Men?
KG: No.
DL: You'd love that. It's a really beautiful movie, and it was full of meaning. Went right over me head, so you know it's good.
KG: I either like movies that make you think a lot, where you can't figure out what's coming next, or things that are entertaining. Comedy or fantasy.
DL: And you didn't watch LOST?
KG: Nope, never saw an episode. Heard it was one of those things where you had to start from the beginning.
DL: You could try the DVDs...
KG: THat would entail buying them. (As if he doesn't have a Middle Eastern connection to get a bootleg copy from.)
DL: So what do u do at night? You get home from work, do physical stuff, eat, and then....
KG: Usually finish reading the Wall Street Journal, if i haven't done so already.
DL: SO that would be your conservative side rearing its ugly head. Have you heard of the old grey lady?
KG: Nope.
DL: How about the Ny Times?
KG: Yeah.
DL: ANd?
KG: I don't read the NY times.
DL: Why one over the other?
KG: Really only interested in what's going on in the world of finance and staying up to date with companies and individuals that are making investments in specific sectors of our economy.
DL: That sounded a lot like Children of Men to me, so i didn't really grasp it. The words made sense, but not in sentence form. Let's move on. Do you listen to any podcasts?
KG: Never.
DL: DO you know what they are? ANd why not enjoying them?
KG: I know what they are, and never taken the time to listen to one.
DL: I'd recommend some, but they're not up your alley at all. They're actually not even bowling related. Get it?
KG: Um.
DL: Not up your alley...
KG: Oh. Gotcha.
DL: Do you go to movies on dates?
KG: Ironically enough, AVATAR and Iron Man.
DL: Who picked the movies?
KG: I picked. She paid.
DL: Would you teach me how to be you? (Side note: His gf is awesome.)
KG: Those were the terms and conditions for me to see a movie.
DL: Have you seen Twilight?
KG: No.
DL: Now I'm going to say some movie quotes, and i want you to guess what they're from. Ok?
KG: Sure.
DL: "So you're saying there's a chance?"
KG: Dumb and Dumber
DL: Correct. "Let's make 'em an offer they can't refuse." Or something to that extent.
KG: (Shrugs) I feel like Nicolas Cage says that in GONE IN 60 SECONDS.
DL: That's pretty close, except that it's from THE GODFATHER.
KG: Never seen that. That's cheating.
DL: Would you agree this game sucks?
KG: Probably only for you.
DL: Are there any shows, movies, books or CDs that you get excited about or care passionately about?
KG: Yes, but that wouldn't be up your alley. No bowling alley joke intended.
DL: Try me. Let's expand the horizons of this blog. No bowling pun intended.
KG: (Clears throat) I like reading books Warren Buffet has commented on or released himself.
DL: You know how i know you're gay? You look for Warren Buffet Books. Do you like his son?
KG: DOn't know him...Jimmy Buffet?
DL: Yeah, that's where i was going with that. So that business crap entertains and captivates you?
KG: I wouldn't say it's entertaining. I'd say i don't understand it, but i'm interested in it. I would like to learn more about it considering my academic skill set is not from there.
DL: But neither is politics. Do you read history or current political books?
KG: No. That doesn't interest me and i don't want to understand it. I'm an engineer trying to make the transition to finance. Best way for me to do that is by reading what's going on everyday.
DL: Have you heard of Omar Kadafy's son?
KG: No. Which one?
DL: The one that was an engineer who is now involved in finance. Specifically relevant to this blog, the financing of movies!
KG: No.
DL: Well I'd recommend that route for you. Well we've spent about all the time I want to waste on this, so let's move to the final part of this interview, where we each give entertainment recommendations. You can go first.
KG: (Cracks open low sodium V8) Comcast just bought NBC from GE-
DL: I belive you mean CABLETOWN bought NBC. Or do you not watch 30 Rock?
KG: Which will now, eventually, one day use the rights to the channels associated with NBC in combination with their broadcasting capabilities to limit the market of channels available to non-comcast users. This will force other networks, such as time warner to pay a premium for their viewers to still have those channels.
DL: On the same issue, there's some worry about comcast unfairly setting downloading speeds in favor of their NBC programs. This would mean you could stream THE OFFICE with no problems, while Grey's Anatomy might have some problems. Actually, ER and WEST WING producer Jon Wells recently testified about this in front of Congress.
KG: I believe that is true as well.
DL: So why do you care about this issue?
KG: It's just another step in the virtualization of media, similar to the way i-phone and Droid have apps, pretty soon television will broadcast in a similar fashion.
DL: Yeah, i've heard murmurs about how you'll be able to pick your channels in an a la carte fashion.
KG: Or even one step further, to be able to pick shows on certain channels. That would reduce the amount of channels needed by the user, and therefore reduce their bill, since they're not paying for channels they don't watch. It would also cut down on the bandwidth these cable companies use to broadcast their channels. In effect, the consumer would be paying less, based on their selection, while the cable companies could allocate their resources more efficiently based on the needs of their target audience.
DL: And after that, I'm going to recommend the GLEE season finale that will be happening soon.
KG: Not game one of the NBA finals with the celtics?
DL: Depends, what channel is it on?
KG: ABC.
DL: Well, if by game time they invent a technology that lets me hear only Jeff Van Gundy, then i would totally endorse that game. Anyway, thanks for sitting down with me and letting me bore you and the audience who are basically suckers if they're still reading. Yes, i'm talking you.