Category Archives: Uncategorized
The Instrumental Heartbeat of Cinema
When a story is so unique and stellar, it’s difficult to let it go.
Christopher Nolan and Hans Zimmer are film making BFF’s (perhaps not the bonding phrase these reserved movie maestros would use). The many collaborations with Mr. Nolan writing and directing and Mr. Zimmer composing powerful accompanying movie soundtracks have left audiences in awe and amazement in the theater and in the years beyond the film’s premiere. The video below has been featured on this blog before, yet its story of how the score of the emotionally-driven Interstellar (2014) evolved from a rather ambiguous note is remarkable.
And Throwback Thursday seems like a fitting day to showcase the kind of random spark that creates movie magic.
That’s why we go to the movies…
and it’s inspiring that there are movie-makers who know why.
Participation Trophies…for Adults?
Sports are about competition, which creates pressure. So, what exactly is the opposite of this construct? And is it worth watching/engaging in?
Ladies and gentlemen, soccer (or football) fans everywhere, we may be finding out the answer to this in the not-so-distant future…
“We would still consider to increase the competition to 40 or 48 teams. A tournament of 48 teams would have the same period of the current one, and federations are all clearly in favour of a World Cup with more teams.”
–FIFA president Gianni Infantino
The modern World Cup features the best 32 national teams as determined by the qualifying-by-region dynamic (North and Central America, Europe, South America, Africa, etc.). As a lifelong soccer fan, the thought of needing or wanting more national teams included in the World Cup has never entered my mind. Never. 32 is a good number. As a matter of fact, 32 is ideal. It’s one thing to ponder expansion if (the key word) adding more teams would improve the greatest tournament on the planet.
The addition of 8-16 national sides won’t make the World Cup better.
The consequence of this decision will dilute the accomplishment of the “original” 32 teams that had to work hard, deal with limited personnel for critical games, sort out inner-squad turmoil and a wide-range of challenges to earn the right to compete for a World Cup every four years with the best-of-the-best. Rich nations qualify and succeed and poor nations qualify and succeed. It’s truly a wonderful sport.
The quote above, courtesy of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, states that the federations are in favor of such an expansion of more national teams.
Duh. It means more money for them.
Wasn’t a focus on money (and the corruption that followed) at the heart of Sepp Blatter’s downfall, as well as being FIFA’s most publicly concerning characteristic? Soccer and world-class competition tragically took a backseat to the former for years and years and years.
More teams = More FIFA. Is this really the best equation for the future of the beautiful game?
If anything, FIFA’s overarching role should be subtracted.
RIP Carrie Fisher
2016 is almost over…
There have been too many of these posts this year, especially lately. Carrie Fisher, daughter of Debbie Reynolds and an iconic actress in her own right, died today at the age of 60. There are few words that can be expressed in this moment, but as a Star Wars fan growing up (and today), Carrie Fisher was a princess unlike any other. She defined the intergalactic princess.
The following video honors some of her most classic film scenes.
To repeat what has surely been said many, many times today: May the Force be with you Carrie Fisher.
Happy Monday
There’s such a thing as comfort food. There’s such a thing as getting out of our comfort zone.
Well, there’s also such a thing as comfort nostalgia.
When things don’t go as planned, it can be a very trying experience to wrap one’s head around the situation. What? Why did this have to happen? I absolutely should have done that instead! What now…? And, as all of these questions (and more) are bouncing around your head without warning or resolution, reflect back and attempt to inject just a tiny bit of humor to temporarily break the ever-revolving thinking and analysis.
Worth a shot.
Any follower of this blog knows that That ’70s Show is a favorite at Jimmy’s Daily Planet. I’ve also always personally related to Kelso…that’s a joke, ladies and gentlemen. Eric Forman/Me: You’re up.
(I saw a taping of That ’70s Show after Topher Grace left and a couple of people who worked on the show walked by afterwards, saw me and said, “Hey, doesn’t he look like Topher?”).
*The specific backstory or conversation of the following scene is irrelevant, but rather that sometimes we need to realize that when things don’t go the way we expect or want, we just need to deal with it…sometimes in unorthodox ways.
This moment is partly why we love (and need) sitcoms.
Have a Better Week than Last Week.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 