Throwing It All Away: Sports Edition

Thanksgiving 2009: it was not a great Thanksgiving on a personal level, as it was the first Thanksgiving since my parents made it known to me and my brothers that they were separating.  It also came at a pretty low point in my life: a time which changed a year later once I received my first paying job.  None the less, 7 years have passed and Thanksgivings since then have been quite wonderful.  This is despite my parents not being together.  Thanksgiving 2009 may have been a bad day for myself and my loved ones; yet for someone else that day was a day of no turning back.

It is now the weekend of the Masters tournament, perhaps the most impressive PGA Tour event that takes place in the United States.  The weekend also correlates with my mother's birthday, who has now turned 60 years old.  So obviously, as was the case earlier in the year when  my father turned 60, I find it more important to celebrate a milestone for my parents.  Even so, there have been times this weekend that I have been looking at the results of this year's Masters.  And it looks impressive, as right now Jordan Spieth may be on his way to a second consecutive green jacket; an impressive feat for a golfer younger than me and quite possibly destined to become much like is golfing idol, one Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods.

I remember when he came onto the professional golf scene back in 1996.  Woods had been the most celebrated amateur and wunderkind in the game since Bobby Jones.  Seeing an opportunity after winning three straight U.S. Amateurs and the NCAA Golf Championship, Tiger Woods turned pro in 1996 at age 20.  Immediately, Woods became the dominant golfer of his time.  I can easily remember a Sunday in 1997 when my family from my father's side and I were watching the Masters.  It was a game for the ages, when Tiger Woods won his first of 14 majors convincingly. We were all impressed  with this budding and gifted athlete and an impressive beginning to a dominant and lucrative era in golf.

As the years went on, Tiger Woods went on to define the late 1990's and 2000's in athletics.  To list his accomplishments on this blog would take a while, and by now you already know of the accomplishments.  Yet, Tiger Woods has been in a professional slump after an impressive 2013 season where he had five PGA wins.  Injuries have taken a toll, along with a younger crop of golfers and several chokes on the golf course.  Right now, Woods has 79 PGA Tour wins, second only to Sam Snead with 82; and he has won 14 Majors, second only to Jack Nicklaus.  Quite honestly, Tiger Woods would have surpassed those records by now.  And yet, those records seem more out of reach than at any point of time in his life.

So what happened?  Well, Bill Simmons in his essay collection The Book Of Basketball (2009) had mentioned in his ranking of Chris Webber as the 72nd greatest basketball player a reasoning as to why Mr Webber did not go far in his potential.  Simmons believes that at a certain point, as early as the 1993 NCAA Championship Game when Michigan lost to North Carolina, Chris Webber felt the need to have a do-over in his approach to the game .  Well, life is not like a video game; there cannot be a reset button nor even a chance to shut off the console or computer when things do not go the way it is supposed to.  I feel that Tiger Woods would like to have a do-over or rather a mulligan on that Thanksgiving night in 2009.  In particular, I think he would like to go back and not get into that car crash just outside his house after arguing with his wife and mother of his children Elin Nordgren when she found out about Woods' affairs and sex addiction.

I know when news broke of the car crash that it just seemed so bizarre and unseemly for Tiger Woods.  Many those first couple of days were asking what happened.  Well, grappling with the separation of my parents I knew what exactly happened immediately.  And so indeed did many observers.  Relations he had fell apart, and Woods was in need of putting the needs of his children first.  It is to Tiger Woods' credit that he has become a doting and important father .

Yet in the golf world and the world at large, Woods' car crash and reduction to merely good golfer and for three years now a relic and cautionary tale was unprecedented.  Now, years before I and others saw something similar with David Duval winning the Open Championship in 2001 and completely collapsing in his professional career.  We felt that golf wise, Duval had it all and he threw it away.  Perhaps we now feel the same regarding Tiger Woods.  There is surprisingly a good deal of personal similarities Duval and Woods have; not least of which is them being doting and important fathers nowadays.  I suppose though golf without Tiger Woods is becoming more and more a reality that we may need to face.

An athlete's peak and winning streak will end eventually.  None the less, I would hate to be the one that says the best golfer in my lifetime failed to live up to his potential.  Yet, what do we expect when we see our athletic greats as real life superheroes. disillusionment is inevitable when the one who can do no wrong is found to be a mere flawed human not unlike ourselves.

Catch up with you soon,

Robert

Oscars 2016: the unintentional CB4 sequel

Way back in 1993, just after departing Saturday Night Live, Chris Rock starred in and co-wrote a pretty underrated comedy/musical on the hip-hop/r & b music scene of the day; not to mention a look at African-American culture as perceived by black people thinking of how white people saw them.  It was named CB4; and was ostensibly a parody and homage to Dr. Dre and N.W.A and Public Enemy along with other like minded artists.  Typical of audiences at the time, CB4 was give good write up yet meager box office.  It did not even matter that Phil Hartman was in this movie, as were a litany of important African-American celebrities.  Few Caucasian audiences saw CB4, nor even bothered to understand the social commentary within the laughter.

So we flash forward 23 years, and it is the night of the 88th annual Oscars, or Academy Awards if you are more perfunctory.  I watched it, and I was quite impressed with Chris Rock throughout the night.  I also applaud the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in their commitment to be more diversified in their minority outreaches.  Yet, here is the rub: and mind you, I do say this being a white Caucasian man of 33.  As the night went on, the knowledge of the current African-American issues and the white counterparts were becoming a bit much.  Now, it was supposed to become a bit much.  However, it appeared that we were watching a real life CB4 occur.

By that I mean, a lot of what was mentioned was brilliant and thoughtful.  None the less, for every two brilliant observations, thee were at least the same amount of questionable and awkward moments.  Once again even the awkward moments were unintentional, yet there they were.  For instance,  was there a need for Stacey Dash's appearance? I am not so sure putting forth an appearance from a rare Republican-oriented celebrity was successful.  Also, while I do applaud the quick and important pledge drive for audience members to donate $65,000 for the Girls Scouts; it did come on the same night a number of African-American artists, including Ava Duvernay, were hosting a fundraiser in Flint, Michigan in support of alleviating the poisoned water crisis.  The donated totals for that fundraiser were less than the amount of money donated to the Girl Scouts on Oscar night.

In addition, when the three young Asian-American men were presented as members of Price Waterhouse Coopers, I think the joke fell flat on its face.  Fortunately, that is about the only missteps I had noticed.  Pretty much everything else was on point and rather hilarious.  What might be found as awkward are moments I thought were brilliant.  Now, there is a big difference between the Oscars and the Grammys:  in the Oscars, the awards matter along with the show.  Indeed, the awards make the show and always have.

Well, I was not 100% on my predictions. Indeed, some of my predictions were way off.  So, you may be wondering, what do I think of these newly minted award winners?  On the surface, I have few to no complaints whatsoever.  None the less, were I to go category by category, here is what I would consider of these award winners.

Best Visual Effects: I was genuinely surprised to see Ex Machina win.  A damn good movie, one in which I hope more people will look at in the near future.  It was amazing how Alicia Vikander looked in that movie.

Best Film Editing:  No surprise it went to Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Makeup and Hairstyle:  Once again it was Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Production Design:  Mad Max: Fury Road won the award.  I had an idea it would go that route.

Best Sound Editing:  it was Mad Max: Fury Road once again.  I of course am quite pleased with the decision.

Best Animated Short Film:  This was one of the biggest surprises of the night.  I was expecting World Of Tomorrow to have won the award.  In its place the Oscar went to Bear Story, which is unique in it is the first Chilean movie to receive an Oscar of any sort.

Best Live-Action Short Film:  The award went to Stutterer, a short film which I was not certain would win the Oscar.  I was not expecting it, and indeed I have yet to see the short film.  Hopefully it is well made.

Best Documentary Short Subject: I was hoping Claude Lanzmann: Spectres Of The Shoah would have taken the all important prize.  Seeing as how Shoah is one of the most important movies in recent memory, one would have thought a recognition by the Academy would suffice after a considerably long wait for recognition.  None the less, the award and perhaps some financial funding for the film makers' next project was given to A Girl In The River: The Price Of Forgiveness.  I did indeed get to see the documentary when it was on HBO, and it is quite compelling.  In point of fact, the reaction to A Girl In The River is promising, with the hope that honor killings in Pakistan will be eliminated.  Perhaps I should have taken the impact of a documentary on a government as more important than a legacy of a great film and its astounding director.

Best Costume Design:  I was hoping Sandy Powell would have received her Oscar for her impressive designs in Carol.  Alas, the award went to costume designer Jenny Beavan for her designs used in Mad Max: Fury Road.  I have no complaints on this matter, as the designs were quite important to the visual aspect of Mad Max, all four of the films to be precise.

Best Sound Mixing:  I was under the assumption that Gary Rydstrom would have received another Oscar due to his involvement in Bridge Of Spies.  None the less, the award went to Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo for their sound designs utilized in Mad Max: Fury Road.  This marked the sixth award Mad Max: Fury Road won, the most of any movie.  And again, it was quite an important aspect for one of the bravest action movies to come in at least my lifetime.

Best Documentary Feature:  I was really expecting the Joshua Oppenheimer film The Look Of Silence to be honored.  Interestingly, the award went to Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees for their film Amy.  Sadly, I have yet to see this interesting documentary on Amy Winehouse; on that matter, I had thought the Nina Simone biographical documentary What Happened, Miss Simone? would have taken the award.  Perhaps I should now see Amy.

Best Animated Film:  Interestingly, I did get to see Anomolisa just before the Oscars.  And I was equally impressed and even emotionally floored with Charlie Kaufman's newest movie.  Heck, I think Tom Noonan should have gotten a Best Supporting Actor nomination, and you will know why once you see it. None the less, I was pleased when Pete Docter won the award for his movie Inside Out.  Do go see Inside Out, both children and parents.  You will not regret the experience.

Best Foreign Language Film:  No surprise, it went to Laszlo Nemes and his debut movie Son Of Saul.  I have only seen clips of this movie, so I do hope to get to see the full movie fairly soon.

Best Original Score:  In a rather touching and meaningful gesture, Ennio Morricone won his First Oscar outside of an honorary one for his work in The Hateful Eight.  I still have not seen that movie yet, though I have listened to the score and it is fantastic. I am not certain if it is among his best, though an award of this magnitude is legitimate.

Best Original Song:  I thought it was a given that Lady Gaga and Diane Warren were to win the Oscar this year.  Gaga's performance of Till It Happens To You had me in tears.  In a surprising move, Sam Smith won the Oscar for his song The Writing's On The Wall, as heard in Spectre.  It is a decent song, and I do commend Sam Smith for his interesting writing and performing.  Yet, it is far from being even among the best James Bond songs.  In my opinion, this one is.

Best Cinematography:  Well, Emmanuel Luzbeki won his second Oscar involving The Revenant.  Well deserved, though I am now wondering if Roger Deakins will ever receive an Oscar now.  Yet, that is irrelevant, as Luzbeki is one of the best DPs in the business these days.

Best Original Screenplay:  I am extremely pleased that Tom McCarthy won this award for Spotlight.  I have been impressed with McCarthy's prowess ever since he was involved with The Wire; and we can now see that early period pay off well.

Best Adapted Screenplay:  In a rather brave and ballsy move, Adam McKay won for the screenplay based on Michael Lewis' book The Big Short.  I thought it was quite an impressive storytelling technique and was pleased with the overall messages displayed.  Indeed, The Big Short has led me to reconsider McKay's other films, both with Will Ferrell and on his own.  Mr. McKay is a very socially and politically keen filmmaker.

Best Supporting Actor:  I was hoping Tom Hardy would have won and I was expecting Sylvester Stallone to win.  So you can imagine that it came as a complete surprise to see Mark Rylance win for his involvement in Bridge Of Spies.  I liked Bridge Of Spies and consider it to be one of Steven Spielberg's better films from his more recent period.  I was also impressed with the screenplay which involved the Coen Brothers.  Indeed, Mr. Rylance stood out in a role which marks only the second time an actor won for a Steven Spielberg film.

Best Supporting Actress:  I thought Rooney Mara sould have been the winner, and while I did not see The Hateful Eight I did see Jennifer Jason Leigh in her moving role in Anomolisa and hoped an Oscar would have come for her.  Instead, it went to Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl.  I have yet to see that movie, and am aware that not everyone thought it was great.  I did however see Ex Machina, and was impressed with Ms. Vikander in that particular role. So for me, I feel Alicia Vikander won mainly for her role in Ex Machina, rather than The Danish Girl. In that regard, I can easily justify her Oscar win.

Best Actor:  Leonardo DiCaprio at long last won an Oscar in The Revenant.  Though I still think the Academy should have nominated more worthy candidates along with DiCaprio, including Michael B. Jordan, Abraham Atta, the cast of Straight Outta Compton, Jacob Tremblay and David Thewlis to name a few; Mr. DiCaprio deserved this Oscar and I a pleased with it.  To think, it has now been 25 years since he became a known actor, starting with one of the Critters movies.  How far we come.

Best Actress:  I liked Cate Blanchett and Saoirse Ronan in their movies, and think Charlotte Rampling is an underrated performer.  Yet I was happy to see Brie Larson win for her role in Room.  It is a most brilliant movie, and deserves the accolades it has received.  My only regret is that Jacob Tremblay was not nominated for Best Actor, and Joan Allen for Best Supporting Actress.  Of course Ms. Allen is well known, and I expect Ms. Larson and Mr. Tremblay to be well involved in films for years to come.

Best Director:  for the second year, the award went to Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu for his film The Revenant.  Mr. Innaritu is one of the most visually impressive filmmakers around today, and The Revenant was quite the master work.

Best Picture:  many times, a Best Director win means a Best Picture win.  So I was by the end of the night expecting The Revenant to collect the top prize.  Instead, Best Picture went to Spotlight, produced by Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust.  I have said before that Spotlight was the best movie I saw in 2015, and I am pleased the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences thinks the same way.  By the way, it is still in theaters and now on demand, as are many of the movies discussed in these past essays.  Do see them, and especially go see Spotlight.

Well, those are my thoughts on the Oscars this year, where social and political matters were rightfully at the forefront of the awards and ideas were presented.  I must say this needed to be published earlier.  None the less, I have been attempting to conjure what and how to respond to this ongoing political problem we call the 2016 Presidential Primaries.  It did make its way to the Oscars, of course.  None the less, we now have nine months for the election to take place.  And at some point, this will be warranted to be said when all heck breaks loose.

A more playful of the famous words Martin Lawrence uttered in Bad Boys 2.

Take care and more political discussions to come,

Robert

PS.  By all means, do go see CB4.  It is rather good and still topical.

Predicting the 2015 Oscars, Part 2

Now that we have gotten the lesser known but equally important Oscar categories out of the way, I think it is time to look at the other categories.  These categories are the ones everyone will be talking about by Monday morning.


Best Costume Design:

Not going to win: The Danish Girl
Might contend: Mad Max: Fury Road and The Revenant
Nominees to look for :
Sandy Powell, Carol
Sandy Powell, Cinderella

I believe Sandy Powell will win Best Costume Design, and it will be for Ms. Powell's impressive designs for Carol.  I honestly cannot see this award going to another costume designer for this year, as Ms. Powell was excellent last year.

Best Sound Mixing:

Not going to win: The Martian
Might contend: Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Nominee certain to win:
Gary Rydstrom, et al., Bridge Of Spies

At this point in the film industry, Gary Rydstrom may just be the most important and innovative sound engineer today.  And clearly Mr. Rydstrom was innovative yet again for his designs used in Bridge Of Spies, particularly in the 5.1 mix I heard in the theater and on Blu-Ray.

Best Original Song:

Not going to win: Simple Song #3, from Youth
Nominees to look for:
The Weeknd, et al., Earned It, from Fifty Shades Of Grey
Anohni Hegarty, et al., Manta Ray, from Racing Extinction
Lady Gaga and Diane Warren, Til It Happens To You, from The Hunting Ground
Sam Smith, et al., The Writing's On The Wall, from Spectre

I happened to like Earned It and Manta Ray, even though their respective movies left much to be desired.  Then again, The Weeknd is quite the good singer, and Anohni is someone that will likely get more notice stateside.  I happened to like Spectre, and of course Sam Smith is one of the best singers out there today.
None the less, Till It Happens To You happens to be one of Lady Gaga's most impressive songs; to say nothing of it being one of Diane Warren's best too.  I expect Gaga's performance to be one of the highlights of the show, as it was last year and most recently at the Grammys.  Indeed, Vice President Joe Biden will be introducing her performance in advocacy of the rights of victims of sexual assault.  And having seen The Hunting Ground, I am convinced this is the right way to honor the movie with a great song.

Best Documentary Feature:

Not going to win: Amy, Cartel Land, What Happened, Miss Simone?, and Winter On Fire: Ukraine's Fight For Freedom
Nominee certain to win:
Joshua Oppeneimer, et al., The Look Of Silence

Joshua Oppenheimer has brought forth a most amazing documentary that is a perfect companion piece to his 2012 film The Act Of Killing. I was most particularly impressed with the involvement and reporting taken place to expose the darker secrets of the 1965 purge of communists in Indonesia.  This documentary will certainly win.

Best Foreign language Film

Not going to win: Embrace Of The Serpent, Theeb, and A War
Nominees to watch:
Danize Gamze Erguven, Mustang
Laszlo Nemes, Son Of Saul

Son Of Saul will win best Foreign Language film this year.  It is not even close.  A rather innovative debut for Laszlo Nemes which I think will be looked at as one of the defining movies of 2015, and perhaps a defining anti-war movie.

Best Animated Film:

Not going to win: Boy & The World and Shaun The Sheep Movie
Nominees to watch:
Charlie Kaufman, et al., Anomolisa
Pete Docter, et al., Inside Out
Hiromasa Yonebayashi, et al., When Marnie Was There

I still have yet to see Anomolisa, and hope t see it fairly soon.  None the less, I thought Inside Out was one of the best films of 2015, and the best Disney and Pixar created in quite some time.  Inside Out will in all likelihood be the recipient of a much deserved Oscar.  By the way, if you have children; have them see Inside Out with you.  It will be beneficial for the young and old.

Best Original Screenplay:

Not going to win: Bridge Of Spies
Might pull off an upset: Straight Outta Compton
Nominees to watch:
Alex Garland, Ex Machina
Pete Docter, et al., Inside Out
Tom McCarthy, et al., Spotlight

I was completely blown away by Tom McCarthy's writing in Spotlight.  However, what Pete Docter accomplished with his team in creating Inside Out is astonishing.  It resonates to anyone that has seen this movie, and I hope that Inside Out can be a positive influence on anybody that is in a depressive state.  Again, I was completely impressed with the very intelligent writing.

Best original Score:

Not going to win: Thomas Newman, Bridge Of Spies
Contenders for the Oscar:
Carter Burwell, Carol
Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight
Johann Johannson, Sicario
John Williams, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I have not yet seen The Hateful Eight, yet i did get to hear excerpts from Ennio Morricone's score.  It is quite good, and might win the Oscar.  I think that my sentimental pick would be John Williams, perhaps the most important composer of his field; apart from Mr. Morricone and Carter Burwell.  None the less, the score to any Star Wars movie is of such importance, that without it the movies fall apart.  So I am hoping John Williams will win the Oscar; yet I will not be upset if it goes to an equally deserving composer.

Best Cinematography:

Roger Deakins, Sicario
Edward Lachman, Carol
Emmanuel Lubezki, The Revenant
Robert Richardson, The Hateful Eight
John Seale, Mad Max: Fury Road

John Seale quite honestly should win Best Cinematography, in recognition of a most impressive and groundbreaking action-adventure film.  None the less, at some point Roger Deakins needs to get his much deserved Oscar.  I do wonder if Sicario will be the movie to end the streak.  It was shot very well too.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Not going to win: Drew Goddard, The Martian: from the Andy Weir novel.

Contenders for the Oscar:
Adam McKay et al., The Big Short: from the Michael Lewis book.
Nick Hornby, Brooklyn: from the Colm Toibin novel
Carol: adapted from the Patricia Highsmith novel,, initially named The Price Of Salt
Emma Donoghue, Room: adapted from her novel.

All four contenders are worthy of an Oscar.  I would like to see Emma Donoghue win this important award, particularly in adapting her own novel to an excellent movie.  Truthfuly though, I would hope that Adam McKay and his team win the award for their highly intelligent and multi-layered script of The Big Short.

Best Supporting Actor:

Not going to win: Mark Rylance, Bridge Of Spies

Contenders for the Oscar:
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Sylvester Stallone, Creed

I personally would like to see Tom Hardy win Best Supporting Actor.  Mr. Hardy's presence in The Revenant was just completely astounding, and he held his own.  I also really liked Mark Ruffalo, whom I consider one of the better actors that can be involved with socially conscious films.

Yet, I think Sylvester Stallone will take home the Oscar this year.  Creed was one of the more pleasant surprises in 2015: a worthy follow up and an important addendum to the Rocky movies.  And Sylvester Stallone did a tremendous role which was surprisingly poignant once more.  Indeed in light of Tony Burton (Duke in the Rocky movies) having passed away just recently, I am convinced that Mr. Stallone is going to receive his long deserved Oscar.

Best Supporting Actress:

Not going to win:  Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl; and Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Contenders for the Oscar:
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara, Carol
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight

Again, I have not seen The Hateful Eight yet; but I do like Jennifer Jason Leigh and would be pleased with her winning.  Having mentioned that, I was particularly impressed with Rooney Mara in her role in Carol.  In my opinion, this is a stunning role that I would hope gets Ms. Mara an Oscar.

Best Actor:

Not going to win: Bryan Cranston, Trumbo; Matt Damon, The Martian; Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs; and Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl.

Going to win:
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

This is the one virtual lock for the Oscar season this year.  Mr. DiCaprio is long deserving of an Oscar, and honestly the competition this year is not as impressive.  Yet, Leonardo DiCaprio should prepare for his well deserved gold statue.

Best Actress:

Not going to win:  Jennifer Lawrence, Joy

Contenders for the Oscar:
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Soairse Ronan, Brooklyn

I have yet to see 45 years, though I do like Charlotte Rampling.  Having mentioned that, in a rather tight and impressive category, I think Brie Larson should win Best Actress this year.  It was quite revealing and impressive.

Best Director:

Lenny Abrahamson, Room
Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, The Revenant
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
Adam McKay, The Big Short
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

It would be a ballsy and brave move for George Miller to win the Oscar.  I would hope Tom McCarthy gets this Oscar and some much deserved acclaim.  Yet, I will not be surprised to see Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu win a second consecutive Best Director Oscar.  A.G.I. is one of the most impressive and unique filmmakers of his or any era.  The Revenant certainly proves this ideal.

Best Picture:

Not going to win:  Steven Spielberg, et al., Bridge Of Spies, and Simon Kinberg and Sir Ridley Scott, et al., The Martian

Could pull off an upset:
Brooklyn
Room
Spotlight

Contending to win it all:

Brad Pitt, et al., The Big Short
George Miller, et al., Mad Max: Fury Road
Arnon Milchan and Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, et al., The Revenant

Once again, the ballsiest and most brave choice would be Mad Max: Fury Road.  My personal choice would be Spotlight.  None the less, the likely and more interesting Best Picture may be The Revenant.  Perhaps AMPAS is awarding Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu The Revenant and from last year Birdman due to the oversight of not honoring 21 Grams and Babel years ago; both of those movies having become modern classics.  Having mentioned that, Birdman and The Revenant are likely going to be modern new classics for many years to come.

I note this is last minute.  None the less, this is before the show begins.  So, now on with the show!  My responses to come in a timely manner.

Happy viewing,

Robert

Handicapping the Oscars, Year 2

On February 28, 2016, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present the 88th annual Academy Awards; better known as the Oscars.  The past year in movies, 2015, was a watershed year in that matters pertaining to how films are distributed and what types of films should get nominations will the focal point for a discussion on the future of the industry.  In all fairness, I am not too certain what will be the future of Hollywood; though I suspect movies will always be around because it is the art form that has shaped our society for some 100 years now.

It is with this idea that I bring forth for the second year my thoughts on the nominations for each Oscar category, and who I think is most deserving of a statue.  Having seen many of the nominated movies, I can certainly attest to these films deserving of a nomination or perhaps even a win in their respective categories. Think of this as a continuation of what Siskel and Ebert had done every year with their hour-long special If We Picked The Winners.  And yes, every category will be looked into.

Best Visual Effects:
Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I am hoping the visual effects team from Star Wars: The Force Awakens gets the award. Yet I was quite impressed with the practical effects used in Mad Max: Fury Road.

Best Film Editing:
The Big Short
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

In the same result as we see in Visual Effects, I would like to see either Star Wars: The Force Awakens or Mad Max: Fury Road take the prize.  A good action adventure film needs to have a competent and dedicated editor or editors to make the perfect cut for a movie.  These two films are clear examples of how editing is needed to make an audience enthralled with what they are seeing.

Best Make-Up and Hairstyle:
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared.
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant

I am more inclined to see The Revenant win this award.  The most impressive Make-Up jobs tend to be the ones that seem most realistic.  This is not to take away Mad Max: Fury Road in its approach to Make-Up and Hairstyle; yet The Revenant was more interesting.

Best Production Design:
Bridge Of Spies
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant

I would be pleased for either Mad Max: Fury Road or The Revenant winning this all important category.  Though I would prefer The Revenant due once again to its realistic approach to designs.

Best Sound Editing:
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Sound Editing is quite an important award in the process of cutting and splicing soundscapes and audio to enhance a movie.  How I see it, the Revenant did best in the approach to Sound Editing.  I was quite impressed with the results.

Best Animated Short Film:
Bear Story
Prologue
Sanjay's Super Team
We Can't Live Without Cosmos
World Of Tomorrow

I was very impressed with World Of Tomorrow.  Indeed, it is quite possibly one of the better experimental animated films to come out in recent years.  It is a near certainty that World Of Tomorrow will win Best Animated Short.

Best Live Action Short:
Ave Maria
Day One
Everything Will Be Okay
Shok
Stutterer

Shok seems to be the most interesting Short Subject to win this award.  It is a very good period piece regarding the war in Kosovo in the 1990s.

Best Documentary Short Subject:
Body Team 12
Chau, Behind The Lines
Claude Lanzmann, Spectres Of The Shoah
A Girl In The River: The Price Of Forgiveness
Last Day Of Freedom

I am hoping that Claude Lanzmann: Spectres Of The Shoah wins this category.  Shoah, though extremely long even for a documentary, is one of the better movies to have been released in some 40 years.  This seems to be the most proper way of rectifying the oversight.

Now that is part one of my look at the Oscar nominees this year.  The remaining categories are a bit more thorough to consider and thus, since this took me a while to finish, I have decided to present a part two which will be posted shortly.

More to come; stay tuned,

Robert

PSA Fail

I want to show you some recent Public Service Announcements that were authorized by the New South Wales governmental premiership in Australia.  The first three are separate YouTube videos.

The next two are a bit difficult to embed, so here are the direct YouTube links.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoSudhJJE58

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NLUSDlUvcE

Now here is a compilation of all three videos.

Now, if you did not know any better, you would think the sloth ads espousing the need to cut sodium from your diet, recognizing the signs of crippling depression and telling people that it is okay to come out of the closet were the real ads.  Well, those ads were fake PSAs created with good intentions by YouTube user quolism.  The Actual three ads in the 2 minute compilation are the ones which, I think still. are being shown throughout Australia.

Let it be known; I do not use weed, nor any other drug for that matter.  None the less, weed is among the least problematic of drugs.  At worst, weed is basically a crutch with little purpose: apart from having a craving for foods, getting momentarily buzzed, aiding some medical issues and slowly but surely making someone feel odd.  I can think of far worse drugs and tranquilizers:

Tobacco one can find at a store, which causes cancers and health problems.
Alcohol, particularly if used daily.
Cocaine
Heroin
Meth
Quaaludes
Prescription medicines used beyond and above the needed amount; including over the counter medicines.
Crack cocaine

Indeed, the outdoor party commercial shows everyone except the sloth with an alcoholic drink of some kind.  You would think the ad would have showed the problems of drinking a bit much.

Clearly, the NSW government have little idea of how to do effective anti-drug messaging.  What should be sober ads are shown to be pretty damn funny.  As I said, the Stoner Sloth campaign dropped the ball on these messages.  And to think, the ads could have been more interesting and more worthy.

Do better next time should there be a next time,

Robert

Anyone for Idiocracy, wouldn't that be nice?

Some 12 years ago, a retired businessman and budding novelist was in the process of revising his political thriller "Bush 2004".  His name is Dr. Lawrence Britt; the Doctorate was for political science.  As a result of what the world was seeing in a rightward shift that was increasingly war-like and nationalistic, Dr. Britt wrote an article in Free Inquiry magazine taking notice of totalitarian dictatorships and adapted t what was happening in the US.  The article, Fascism Anyone?, was posted and reposted to many different websites and was considered one of the defining political statements of 2003.

At its heart was what Dr. Britt considered the 14 defining characteristics of fascism.  Interestingly, it was found that the Cheney-Bush administration had enacted all 14 characteristics.  Although it would take another 5 years and the 2004 election to alter the course of leadership, people became aware of the growing nationalistic and fascist tendencies of the right wing in America.  And now it appears we are witnessing this yet again; this time under the rubric of the Republican candidates for President.  In particular, we focus on one Donald Trump; currently leading both the Primary and General Election polls (!).  So, does Mr. Trump and his people and travelers define the 14 characteristics?  Well let us have a look.

Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. 
Well, the slogan for the Trump campaign is "Make America Great Again", which is also followed by massive generalizations of important topics.  The same goes true for many of the other Presidential campaigns in the Republican field, and some in the Democratic field included.  We see this often in campaigns and rhetoric that invoke the United States as being something it is not.  Any time I hear phrases such as "greatest country" and "freedom" applied to the US, I tend to respond in more thoughtful approaches.  In short, the US is not, has never been and could never be the greatest country.  Why is that?  It is because America is currently at war.

Disdain for the importance of human rights. 
This is shown in spades.  Donald Trump, along with many right wingers, have managed to alienate and belittle any and every person that is not a white rich man.  For myself, the Trump campaign has not shown even One ounce of dignity and support toward people with special needs, including individuals with Asperger's Syndrome and/or are on the Autistic Spectrum.  Indeed, we have seen utter ridicule and belittling when these issues are brought forth.  If this is how Asperger's Syndrome are perceived by Trump, other groupings are clearly given worse considerations.

Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. 
The easiest sorts of scapegoats we have seen these past 14 years have been Arabs, Muslims, Islamists and Middle Easterners.  At any point a false flag occurs, Arabs are given the immediate blame, particularly by the Republican Party.  The knee jerk reaction these past weeks has been to tell any Muslim they are not welcome into the US.  Donald Trump has been the sole candidate mentioning this proposal; yet you can bet your sweet bippy that Every Republican candidate is agreeing to this, even if they will publicly be against such proposals.

The supremacy of the military/avid militarism.
The political class on the whole have never met a war they did not want.  The Trump campaign seems intent on altering the current and future international policies of the US.  Shockingly, there are worse Republican candidates that feel war is the first option of foreign policy.  Rest assured, if we get a Republican president; we will be at war within one year of the election.

Rampant sexism. 
Each and every campaign for the presidency on the Republican side has espoused anti-abortion, anti-women and sexist rhetoric.  Donald Trump is obviously not someone that understands women.  Being on your third wife is a big giveaway.  This is to say nothing of espousing anti-abortion views that would easily reverse 100+ years of women's equality.

A controlled mass media.
We often hear that the mainstream media is liberal minded.  Well, for each liberal minded viewpoint, I notice two conservative viewpoints given longer time to be presented.  To provide a more potent example:  Sen. Hillary Clinton, or any Democrat for that matter, may get a mention and some air time on the news channels if Sec. of State Clinton is on a campaign stop.  Donald Trump, along with other Republicans, will have an entire half-hour at least devoted to whatever speech they are giving; and if not a speech, news coverage will be devoted to live footage of Trump attending the opening of a napkin.  I would not be surprised if some form of payola among news organizations for access to the Trump campaign has been approved.

Obsession with national security.
An unfortunate rule of thumb present in ideal lacking campaigns is when your domestic policy is horrid or, worse, invalid; it is time to whip up the threat of the boogeyman luring at your front lawn.  I find it disgusting that a great deal of people willingly fall for this malarkey; only temporarily gaining their sanity back when their money runs out.  And as I mentioned before, it is easy to put blame on the other when the problem is and has always been the self.

Power of corporations protected.
Donald Trump has had the gall to put his name on most services and goods, including bottled water! While it would not be a surprise to see The Trump Organization expand in a Trump presidency should it happen, corporate expansion and claims of corporate person hood will be front and center in any Republican presidency.  What is worse is many of these corporations provide non-informational goods and services that only provide benefit for the corporations.  And none of these corporations give a flying fig about either you or me.

Power of labor suppressed or eliminated.
The labor movement as it is now is rather fractured, as we see in unions and trade organizations splitting their endorsements for whom their leadership want to see become president.  However, it is certain not one of the labor unions will support a Donald Trump presidency, and with good cause.  Mr. Trump's business practices, or lack thereof, has caused stagnant wages and at least 5 businesses going bankrupt, while the Donald expands his riches.

Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts.
Donald Trump currently leads the polling demographic in people willing to vote for him that were never university educated; to say nothing of those without a formal education of any sort.  Incidentally, a dumb person tends to be far more religious than a smart person.  Mixing those two, negative feelings arise when confronted with intellectuals and people involved in the arts; which also incidentally happen to coalesce as well.  I should know, because for someone that is on the Spectrum, I do happen to think of myself as an intellectual and a patron of the arts in the limited scope I may have.

Obsession with crime and punishment. 
This also extends to disdain for attorneys and simplification of laws and regulations to mere children's tantrums.  The sorts of laws that are in the likeness of "well, if I cannot do this, then Nobody can!"  Indeed, there will be an increase in people being charged for one thing while it is really for a matter of ignorant plebs wanting to be rid of someone that reminds them of their collective guilt.

Rampant cronyism and corruption.
With a name like Trump, we could expect nearly every member of the family to gain an executive cabinet level position.  Not only that, we could expect business people to be appointed to governmental offices or even downright elected who have no clue whatsoever about public policy.  As it is now, Donald Trump has no damn clue what he is talking about.

Fraudulent elections.
The votes and opinion polls are completely rigged for a number of candidates.  Donald Trump has been polling at the top of national polls since July, and it is usually anywhere between 27% and 40% of the vote.  Extend this to general election mode, and Donald Trump can pull off an election miracle at the last minute using e-votes and effectively buying his way into the presidency.  Sure, it could be done by all sides, and we have seen this time and again most recently in the 2012 election when both sides used e-voting tactics to inflate votes.  Yet, a man like Donald Trump with nothing to lose will stand to do anything to win a race and claim his perceived kingdom.

In short, of the 14 defining characteristics of fascism present in our lives; Donald Trump, his campaign, and much of the Republican field has sadly been confirmed to invoke all 14.

In a related matter, in the 10 years since Idiocracy was completed, some 30%  of Mike Judge's observations and inferences have come true.  This seems to be not a coincidence that we are witnessing a potential presidency of Donald Trump which may be just as problematic as a Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho presidency.

Knowledge will be our awakening.  Ignorance, and will ignorance, will be our undoing.  And yet, so few care about the ills and needs of our planet.

On a positive note for the moment, a worldwide treaty was drafted to reduce carbon emissions and reduce the impact of global warming.  We now need to initiate the next important step and have a carbon tax.  I say this because right now, it is night in the lower 50s in December.  December weather needs to be below zero with snow.  Otherwise, our children and their children will never know what Christmas was like.

I will be writing more sooner than later.  Indeed, I will have a lot to say on my favorite movies, music, events, TV shows, websites and books for 2015 as soon as can be.  Hope you are looking forward to these opinions, and you might be a bit surprised.

Say no to Trump!,

Robert

An explanation for now

I do have a lot to tell regarding my ideas of a Joe Biden Presidential campaign, a Jim Webb run for the Presidency as an Independent, the growing new neo-conservative movement propping up, my thoughts on the Steven Spielberg new gem Bridge Of Spies, my definition of a Social Justice Warrior, and my plans for eventual video production.  However, I have been sidetracked by the New York Mets in the process of heading to the World Series; right now dashing fans of Back To The Future the hopes of a 2015 Cubs World Series win.  And this is coming from someone far more interested in Football, Soccer and individual sports.  Should the Mets go all the way, I think we may have a clear winner for Postseason MVP.

To note, while my family and I have been Yankee fans; we are more prone to being fans of a region when that region is still in the postseason running; especially New York.  So, no bitterness here.  And with that, hopefully this is not speaking too soon:

Let's Go Mets!

Robert

An (alleged) actor prepares for his next (alleged) role

I have been interested in the performing arts such as movies and theater for quite some time now.  Despite this interest and knowledge, I have yet to be considered an actor; much less any important person involved in film making and stagecraft.  However, in the past two years, I have been involved with an acting troupe that at least once every year puts on a show in front of an audience consisting of our families and others from the Town of Oyster Bay, New York.  It relates to the Town's Group Activities Program for the Disabled, for which I am considered due to having Asperger's Syndrome. 

Each Spring since 2013, I have been involved in acting in a play or musical of some sort.  In 2013, I was both Bill the candy store owner and a composite of the TV reporters in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory.  The next year, we did something different in a number of us portrayed important singers over the past 60 years.  It was our take on a Legends in Concert performance you might see on a cruise ship.  For my part, I was John Belushi in his Blues Brothers alter ego.  This past May, I was the Chris Penn character Willard in an interesting hybrid staging of Footloose.  We took elements from both the film and the later Broadway musical.  So, I got to sing (gasp!) a couple different times, notably the Randy Newman sound alike Mama Says.  Now, try picturing me singing this.

Sadly, I did not get to do the full song.  Oh well, had to make it just under an hour and 10 minutes.

So, next month the GAP drama program gets back in business after having the summer off.  I am hoping we may be able to do something for the Christmas season, even though it might be at best a holiday themed Legends in Concert sort of occasion.  None the less, we are definitely going to put on a show sometime next year in either April or May.  I would like to believe that before the year is out, we will find out what play/musical act we are doing.

This is where you come in.  I have some ideas that I would hope receive the necessary traction and approval of the GAP leadership; though I am far from the only person jotting down ideas.  Here are quite a few that I have considered for what we could do.

Disney related.

Inside Out
Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs
Toy Story (any of the movies)
Wall-E
The Lion King

Jim Henson related.

The Muppet Movie
The Great Muppet Caper
The Muppet Show (a sort of best of sketches)
Sesame Street (perhaps some of the better sketches over the years)
Labyrinth
The Dark Crystal
The Cube
The Storyteller ( any of a number of episodes)
A number of different TV specials involving Jim Henson and/or the Muppets
Note:  There would be no need to use puppetry.  I would prefer those involved being ourselves, yet imitating our characters by wearing related costumes.  In the case of a character like Kermit The Frog, a sweater or onesie (jumpsuit pajama) will suffice.

All ages acceptable, musical or film based

The Last Unicorn
Fun Home
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Finding Neverland (possibly the movie version)
A Hard Day's Night
Help!
Yellow Submarine
Bye Bye Birdie
Star Wars (any of the movies; though I have not yet seen Episode VII yet)
The Sandlot
Wallace and Gromit
Shaun the Sheep
The Pirates
Fantastic Mr. Fox
E.T.

I like these, although opinions may vary

Company
West Side Story (no alterations to the ending)
Into The Woods
Starlight Express
Cats
My Dinner With Andre
Toys
The Wall
Me and Earl and The Dying Girl
The Land Before Time
The Odd Couple (preferably the Lemmon-Matthau film)
The Producers
Blazing Saddles
Monty Python's Flying Circus (any number of sketches)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python's Life of Brian
Spamalot


And a special section.  Should we be doing another Legends in Concert type show, I think we could do some of these artists.

Pink Floyd
Sir Paul McCartney
The Who
ABBA
Janet Jackson
Peter Gabriel
Joni Mitchell
The Temptations
Prince
George Harrison
Stevie Wonder
Billy Joel
The Pretenders
U2
Paul Simon
Kiss
Arcade Fire
Husker Du
The B-52's


Where you come in is as follows: I would like to know what you think of these suggestions.  I would also like to know if you have any ideas of what we could do for next year.  If you can, please either comment or post or like this essay either here or on Facebook.  I would like to hear from you.

Here is an added incentive:  you can give me a suggestion, and if anyone asks, I could post a video of me acting out a role from that particular character and/or play/musical/movie.  Think of it like a screen test, or rather one of those lip sync dubbing videos only it is me actually saying the lines.

If you want, I can post an idea for what sort of musical I might like, though others are not sure.  I really think we could do a play such as this; provided some material is altered.

Once again, let me know what all of you think about these ideas.  I would like to hear your ideas as well.

Surprisingly have not been to a Broadway show in quite a while,

Robert Kelly

That One Summer: One Hour Photo

It has now been exactly one year since Robin Williams died.  One year in which I and may others keep wondering what has changed since then.  One year that we have been asking ourselves if we were able to see the warning signs of a sad and troubled soul who had a gift for making people better in thoughts and laughter when needed.  When I heard that Robin Williams had committed suicide, I kept thinking to 12 years before, when I and many others saw an excellent movie Mr. Williams was in that I think would have been the game changer in how many saw him.  That movie was One Hour Photo; one of the few times I walked out of the theater feeling disturbed. 

One Hour Photo is quite possibly one of the better movies of 2002, and certainly amongst the creepiest films to have been produced.  It was one of those movies that needed repeated viewing and a thorough analysis to what was just seen.  Like many of the great horror films, it would leave audiences wondering what they had just seen, and unsure of the ending being presented.  In some ways, I think this was due to this movie being written and directed by Mark Romanek; an innovative filmmaker of music videos.  Amazingly, One Hour Photo was only his second film outside of the video music genre.  Yet as opposed to the usual jump cuts and flash photography involved in some of Mr. Romanek's videos (Scream, 99 Problems, Closer, The Perfect Drug, Speed Of Sound), One Hour Photo was sparse in its visual outlook.

Most importantly, what mattered was the story being told and seeing Robin Williams at his most creepiest up to that point.  In short, Mr. Williams played a 50-plus year old loner, Sy Parrish, who spends his days as the photo developer at a CVS knockoff.  Over time, Sy becomes concerned about the dealings of a young family, the Yorkins.  What sends Sy over his limits is a drop off that Will Yorkin (Michael Vartan) delivers containing photos of Will and his mistress Maya (Erin Daniels).  And yet, the troubles and disintegration of the Yorkins, including that of Nina (Connie Nielsen), is secondary compared with Sy's inner turmoil and demons becoming more and more public. 

Now, since this movie was completed in 2002, I trust many of you have seen One Hour Photo.  With that in mind, some important matters relating to plot and storytelling are needed to be clarified. 

Did the kid know his father was cheating?
I think so.  One of the discussions on the IMDB and AICN message boards at the time noticed how Romanek showed the young man playing Jake seem a bit embarrassed at Connie Nielsen's character looking at the photos of Will and Maya at the beach.  In fact, there is no shock coming out of Jake.  I think, and so did others at the time, Jake took those photos of his father and his mistress; likely attending the same vacation at the same beach.  This may also explain how Jake seems to become more deadpan and apathetic during the course of the movie.  I found it to be a rather brilliant move for a film of this caliber.  Any sort of overacting and emphasis on the kid, and this movie fails. 

Why the obsession over a family who is not all what they seem?
Mr. Williams does not at any one moment in this movie give us reason to necessarily hate Sy.  I suppose this is because we in real life have noticed, or perhaps have ourselves been, lonely people without much to look forward to except our version of a hyper reality.  We may look at the photos, videos, stories and ideals of a family or group of people and choose to see only what we want to believe.  If for instance you see a family doing something wonderful while you are not; it is little surprise that any of us would feel even at the least jealous and envious.  Certainly, Sy getting fired and then discovering the photos of Vartan and Daniels kissing ends that form of obsession and unqualified need for acceptance into the Yorkin family, as it were.  This leads to an interesting debate that continues to infest message boards when discussing this movie.

Was Robin Williams' character, Sy Parrish, sexually molested as a child by his father?
The answer is yes.  A movie that is intelligent and disturbing as what One Hour Photo is does not need to explicitly tell you everything.  Mark Romanek has not ever in his fictional movies tried to hammer us with plot points and explicit revelations that are the bane of every cookie cutter horror movie.  What Mr. Williams says to Eriq La Salle at the end effectively reveals both Sy's past and I am certain what has happened to Jake. 

Did Sy take the pornographic pictures at the hotel?
You do not see them as evidence, yet I think those photos were taken and kept by Sy as an insurance policy or blackmail against Will.  The last shot of the movie of Mr. Williams integrated with the Yorkins can be taken as different interpretations as to whether it is real or imagined.  It could very well be real, and that the Vartan and Nielsen's characters will need to acquiesce to Sy whenever he sees fit.  Once again, a rather clever move of storytelling format. 

One Hour Photo remains a great movie to this day.  I had hoped that Robin Williams would have at least garnered a Best Actor nomination at the Oscars; though sadly it was not to be.  Perhaps this was not mentioned or even thought about at the time; yet I think if One Hour Photo had gotten a following similar to many of the horror franchises of the last 10 years, or perhaps even the word of mouth momentum the new Joel Edgerton film The Gift has received, certain career trajectories would have been altered.  I will believe till I am blue in the face that with both Insomnia and One Hour Photo, along with a sharp return to stand-up, Robin Williams was re inventing himself in a way that I think would have provided a newer fan base.  As I said, these movies were quite successful, and a lot of media attention  was made. Yet, and here is the kicker, not getting a Best Actor nomination  may have given Mr. Williams doubts about showing his darker side.  Or perhaps not; his Oscar in Good Will Hunting was quite edgy itself.  And of course, Robin Williams never stopped being funny. 

We may never truly know how he felt.  Unless there is a biography of considerable regard on his life published, Robin Williams' inner feelings may well be considered foreign to us.  Sure, many of us get depressed; a number even think of ending it all.  And quite a few of us do suffer from illness.  Perhaps one day we will know.  None the less, we did have a renaissance in the life of Robin Williams in 2002, a rather interesting life we all looked up to That One Summer.

So was a great life in a weary world,

Robert

PS.  I will have more to say about The Gift coming shortly.  It is though a must see movie.  And I am still working the cogs at getting to upload videos, including my own. 

The one sane choice

It may be hard to believe, given not many alive now lived or remember this time period. Yet, the 1980s were not halcyon days for the United States or even the rest of the world. If or when Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman decide to do a documentary series about the eighties, I would expect people's perception of so called good times to be completely shattered. A great deal of the Republican mindset that engulfed America in the 1980s and early 1990s can be attributed to a 1979 Address to the Nation from then President Jimmy Carter. Nominally, it was the 14th in a series of Addresses involving energy usage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kakFDUeoJKM My apologies for not directly embedding the video; I am using Microsoft Windows 10 and its new browser Microsoft Edge. I will see if Chrome does things differently. None the less, the speech I linked to was and still is unique in that President Carter pretty much told the American people to stop blaming their leaders for their problems and start blaming themselves. What a concept: taking responsibility for one's own actions and thoughts! How it related to energy was effectively consume less and perhaps, maybe, turning off the heater once in a while and wearing an extra sweater. Well, within the next year, much of the American public rejected these recommendations for self preservation and much like someone being told not to do anything stupid; they tripled down on their stupidity and elected President Ronald Reagan. The Reagan era lasted a total of 12 long years. I think the only reason why it lasted this long was because it became clear, after the Iran-Contra scandal blew up in everyone's face, that an actual third term campaign for President Reagan would have resulted in a defeat. So in came George H.W. Bush to be President in 1988, retaining many of the Reagan brain trust without the public image of a failed leader. Four years later, and with the "Cold War" now extinct, the Republican Party, and with that much of the bipartisan bull crap in maintaining a "war" mindset, began to shatter immensely. I can remember those times; Dan Rather every night for a month in early 1992 introduced reports on a false and troubling U.S. financial economy. Lawrence Walsh, independent counsel investigating Iran-Contra, obtained grand jury indictments for key Reagan-Bush officials, and likely was going to indict both Presidents if possible. I do remember on Halloween Eve a re-indictment of Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger was obtained. It was also the year of the South Central L.A. Riots, among other social justice issues coming into view. Into this social political chaos emerged then Gov. Bill Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas and by all accounts a Southern Centrist Democrat. And for the first time in 12 years, people were not only needing to hear the truth about their lives; they were willing to listen and make changes. If you need a visual aide on why the Clinton campaign and subsequent Presidency from 1992-2000 was successful; I would suggest watching once again the D.A. Pennebaker film The War Room, now a part of the Criterion Collection. Also of interest is Robert Downey Jr.'s opinion documentary The Last Party; though be aware this was when Downey was zonked out on booze and pills half the time. I have already alluded to and made note of the eight years of relative peace and security when William Jefferson Clinton was President. I, like you, are aware of what the past 15 years post-Clinton have been like. In short, apart from flashes of sanity within the Senate and the State Department, nothing good has come forward. You know, in only my second week as a student at Hofstra University, 9/11 occurred. One of my fellow travelers saw, like nearly all of us, the aftermath of the destruction and she said out loud "This would have never happened if Clinton was still President." And this woman, whose name I forget, was right. Indeed, there are certain times I play a what if game. That being, what if Bill Clinton decided to run for a third term? We know President Clinton would have easily been re-elected. Yet, as we know, a Clinton third term was set aside to focus on Hillary Clinton's 1999-2000 run for the Senate. She of course was elected. And I would say from that point forward, many of us that effectively were given the double deuce by the Cheney-Bush people, culminating in the 9/11 Inside Job, wanted to have the tide turn in favor of us once more. I had hoped Sen. Hillary Clinton would have ran for President in 2004. She did not, instead focusing on her 2006 Senate re-election bid. Fortunately after that election, Sen. Clinton began a process of running for the Presidency to which she was and still is entitled to I might add. In 2008, Sen. Clinton won the national Democratic Primary. Yet due to a myriad of reasons all found to be not worth my time, Clinton was barred from receiving the nomination in what amounted to a retread of the old back-room party bosses deals. We were left with then Sen. Barack Obama, the perpetual disappointment. None the less, President Obama was elected in 2008: the Clinton family's endorsement and a certainty for Sen. Hillary Clinton to be involved in the Cabinet was what sealed the deal for at least my voting for him. Yet Sec. Of State Clinton would not be in that title at the State Department for that long of a time. Sec. Of State Clinton left in 2012, which was followed as we see today of another Presidential run. Now, let me remind you I did vote for President Barack Obama again in 2012. However, I voted for Pres. Obama thinking that he would be defeated. It was more of an approval of the four years having gone by rather than the four years to come. We have seen though a continuation of a weak, egotistical, self-centered prick being a President more in line with wanting to be a celebrity more than anything. I do not know what a Republican presidency would have been like if one was elected in 2012. I sure as shit was not going to give the Romney and Paul people there fantasies. And I frankly have never liked Gov. Chris Christie; Now most people hate him, but it was not that easy being a lone voice at the time showing my disapproval on that lard. None the less, Pres. Obama winning re-election in 2012 assured a continuation of Democratic leadership for decades to come. We all were convinced after eight years of Obama there would be: Eight years of Hillary Clinton Eight years of Cory Booker Eight years of Chelsea Clinton Eight years of one of the Obama daughters. Well, now once again, there is a probability this will not happen. I have said before that Pres. Obama is actively seeking a third term. With the likelihood that he might lose, Obama and his people are setting up Vice President Joe Biden to fill the void. Interestingly, I think after Beau Biden passed away, there has been more of an incentive for VP Biden to run; fulfilling the last wishes of his son to have a Biden become President. I am not pleased with VP Biden running. This now means at least 8 Democrats are running for President! I expect Mayor Bill De Blasio to announce his candidacy shortly, and I am thinking there will be a Donald Trump equivalent for Democrats to consider before the year is out. My money is on Sen. Elizabeth Warren to make a move. By the way, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has come out in support of Sen. and Sec. of State Hillary Clinton. So too has Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Indeed, most of the Senate Democrats and nearly half of all House Democrats are endorsing Hillary Clinton. Same goes for several Diplomats, a number of businesspeople and quite a huge list of celebrities. Go look at the Clinton 2016 page on Wikipedia for an ever evolving list of endorsements. Each of these endorsees have one mindset in common: they want their political party back to where it can be in being effective in its leadership and trustworthiness. In short, they want the 1990s back. As do I. In 2008, after being given the double deuce by party bosses, we were assured that President Barack Obama would promise us everything us Clinton Democrats wanted and even more. Apart from the four years of relative decent International Diplomacy, we have been disappointed in most areas. Even certain beneficial acts like "Obama Care" were compromised from its needed intentions. I for one will not be led down a path of abject disappointment and voting for style over substance, celebrity over leadership. Taking a page from the misguided fanatics Dr. Ron Paul still continues to have, albeit in a mercifully dwindling number; my choice for President, the Only Same Choice for President, is Hillary Clinton. Should Sen. Clinton not receive the nomination, even before the primaries, if possible I will write her name in. If a write-in is not possible, then I will vote for the Democrat; albeit it will be nothing more than a protest vote. Hillary Clinton for President 2016 or no one at all. Our lives may just depend on it, Robert

Goodell Must Go!

One week or so from now, something really special happens every time in early August.  The National Football League starts its season, unofficially mind you, with the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony.  August 8 will see an induction ceremony honoring 8 important people whose life and works regarding American Football are well known to all those that follow the sport.  The elite 8, as it were, are:

Junior Seau (1969-2012): Linebacker 1990-2009 (San Diego Chargers 90-02)
Jerome Bettis: Running Back 1993-2005 (Pittsburgh Steelers 96-05)
Charles Haley: Linebacker/Defensive End Dallas Cowboys/San Francisco 49ers 1986-1999
Tim Brown: Wide Receiver 1988-2004 (Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders 88-03)
Bill Polian: General Manager/Front Office 1978-2011 (Buffalo Bills/NFL 84-94, Indianapolis Colts 98-11)
Mick Tinglehoff: Center Minnesota Vikings 1962-1978
Will Sheilds: Guard Kansas City Chiefs 1993-2006
Ron Wolf: Director of Player Personnel/General Manager 1963-2001 (Oakland/LA Raiders 63-74, 79-89, Green Bay Packers 91-01)

In addition, ESPN football analyst Tom Jackson and AP lead football writer Dave Goldberg (1941-2015) will receive the media awards during the August 6 Gold Jacket Dinner. 

Now, in most circumstances I will not feel the need to address NFL issues.  This is different however.  Of the 8 inductees receiving head busts, one of them is not alive to see it.  Junior Seau, arguably the most durable linebacker to play football in his lifetime, died in 2012 at the age of 43.  Seau killed himself as a result of depression and neurological problems relating to a diagnosis of concussion syndromes. Upon his death, Junior Seau was diagnosed as having Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease effecting the brain and other motor neuron functions as a result of multiple concussions. Side effects, unfortunately, do include depression and lack of direction. Indeed, Seau was in danger of losing his restaurant business at the time of his death, and despite 20 seasons in the league and his number 55 retired by the Chargers; Junior Seau was not a wealthy man. In point of fact, a great deal of money was poured into his restaurant business just to keep it afloat. The results of the autopsy on Seau prompted his surviving family to seek compensatory damages by the NFL over injuries and neurological problems obtained during the course of his 20 season career, and most importantly the last 2 years of his life. The Seau family has even opted to forego cashing in on the class action lawsuit settlement by retired NFL players seeking compensation for concussion syndromes. As of this writing, the lawsuit is still ongoing. This has effected a moment next week when Junior Seau will be forever honored as a football great; induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. While Bettis, Haley, Brown, Polian, Tinglehoff, Shields and Wolf will be able to give their acceptance speeches, Seau's daughter, who is presenting her father, will not be allowed to give a speech. This was revealed After she gave her remarks on the customary video summary on Junior Seau's life. I find this to be insulting. There are those that will defend the policy put into place by the Hall of Fame in not allowing presenters of posthumous inductees give their speeches. I am not one of them. Do any of you know why this policy was enacted 4 years ago? Well, it was in that year the Hall of Fame, and with that the NFL, made a boneheaded move. Les Richter (1930-2010) was inducted posthumously into the Pro Football Hall of Fame based on 9 seasons (1954-1962) as a linebacker with the Los Angeles Rams. Here is the kicker; at no point in time during those 9 seasons was Richter given the proper monetary compensation that an All-Pro linebacker was deserving of being awarded to. In point of fact, after Les Richter retired, he spent the remainder of his life involved with auto racing. He was not a driver or car owner; yet Richter owned several racetracks and venues for NASCAR, Indycar, USAC, IROC and other leagues. Surprisingly, in his lifetime Les Richter was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame and gladly accepted the honor. Yet, honoring an NFL great just after he died was not the real boneheaded move. That occurred, in the midst of a lockout of players which was resolved before the 2011 Induction Ceremony, with not allowing Les Richter's son John to give an acceptance and memorial speech on the night of induction. Because you see, the NFL just could not have John Richter mentioning to fans and players alike that the NFL does not pay fairly, and perhaps the best part of one's life in football is after the playing career is finished; possibly including walking away from the game entirely. In the same manner, the NFL just cannot have Junior Seau's daughter give a speech decrying the NFL in their manners of tossing players aside when they are out of the league and not looking into not only their post football lives yet also the amount of pain and suffering they endure so that we fans are entertained. You may have already guessed who is behind this malarkey, at least on a PR manner. That would be the current NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell. Roger Goodell, son of Sen. Charles Goodell (R-NY) has been commissioner since 2006. Each year that passes by sees Goodell arbitararly handing out edicts and punishments when sought fit; along with a general disregard for player relations on an overall matter. As is often the case, the true NFL leader is found with the Executive Director of the Players Union, DeMaurice Smith. The NFLPA usually has isues correctly assessed than does the front office. Heck, most of the owners whom Goodell is beholden to; to say nothing of corporate sponsors, have more fortitude and reason than Roger Goodell has. This Hall of Fame issue, along with some other concurrent issues of matters trivial yet expanded upon, leads me to believe that Roger Goodell must be ousted as soon as can be. The National Football League cannot become a laughingstock even more so than it already is. I will have more to say on why Goodell Must Go in an essay to be published momentarily. Suffice to say, protecting the image of a brand may end up hurting the brand long term. More coming; stay tuned, Robert

That One Summer: Live On Broadway

Growing up, there were not many TV channels that showed stand up comedy.  By that I mean, an actual live stand up routine outside of a talk show or some special programming.  One of the few channels to watch both up and coming comics and seasoned veterans was HBO.  And it was HBO that broadcasted the first stand up special starring Robin Williams.  That was back in 1978 at The Roxy; a performance we know was fueled by Mr. Williams' addiction to cocaine yet was quite brilliant.  It must be seen to be appreciated. 

Robin Williams went on to star in quite a few more comedy specials, each shown on HBO.  Also, Mr. Williams became involved with Comic Relief for many years.  Each of those comedy stand up shows were hilarious and insightful.  Indeed, it is difficult to say which one of his specials was the best.  I can tell you that in the Summer of 2002, one of Mr. Williams' stand up shows was broadcasted live on HBO that nearly everyone wanted to see.  I can remember it being talked about days and even weeks afterwards.  It was Robin Williams: Live On Broadway.  And in short, I probably did not laugh as hard and as often as I did that night.

It was not even a year after 911, and for me it seemed that topical social political humor was about to be thrown out the window, as it were.  People then, as now, more interested and comforted in bathroom jokes and celebrity impersonations and parodies.  Yet, by 2002, that was changing and quite rightly so.  Bill Maher may have been the spark that got political humor going again; to say nothing of the likes of George Carlin and others leading the way.  Yet I think that night in July, it was Robin Williams that dared to go all out.  Of course, Mr. Williams always went all out in his beliefs.  A very good example involved this little gem.

"Oh, guess what?  Congress has passed a bill to secretly assassinate Saddam Hussein.

So what they have done, is announce the US' plans to secretly assassinate Saddam Hussein.

I wonder if he knows?"

The audience both live and watching just about fell to the floor laughing.  In that one humorous observation, Robin Williams told everyone what a waste of time and money an invasion of Iraq would be.  That of course was one of many different people and things he made fun of that night.  I honestly do not know where to start with the best bits.

Would it be his Scotsman explaining golf?

His look at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City?

Mr. Williams doing a very succinct Donald Rumsfeld?

His extremely hilarious look at religion?  Which I might add only Bill Maher was on par with in that department?

Robin Williams observing that after 911, not much has changed in New York attitudes? 

His takedown on our at the time growing plastic surgery and medicine for sex fetishes?

Whatever it was, that night Robin Williams showed a vitality and sharp mind that I suppose was undervalued given Mr. Williams' film roles and cheery personality.  Yet, Robin Williams had always been edgy in his stand up comedy.  Go back and look at his comedy specials before Live On Broadway and even afterwards and you will see his genius on full display.  Plus, if you had received the DVD version, there was a lot more where that came from. 

At that point in Mr. Williams' life, it seemed like he was at the top of his influence; possibly far more influential than at any other time in his life.  And there was still more to come from Robin Williams in 2002.  Indeed, by August movie audiences were treated to one of the defining roles Mr. Williams had done in his life and one which, for myself, I walked out of the theater feeling disturbed.  That movie was of course One Hour Photo; a role of his that I had thought would have garnered Robin Williams another Academy Award nomination.  Alas, it did not.  Yet, it was the culmination of a revitalization that should have, if given more of a look, been the spark that changed Mr. Williams' trajectory in his humor and his acting. None the less, we still have That One Summer.

An essay on One Hour Photo is forthcoming,

Robert

PS.  Here in its complete glory is the Live On Broadway special I was talking about. 

Some names of artists that might join the greats

Now that I have discussed who I think will be nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this year as performers; I feel it best to turn my attention to who could potentially be on my ballot for the Revisited/Projected Rock Hall Project.  I mentioned that I believe it is the Crown Jewel of the website Future Rock legends.  While not going into detail on all of the artists on my relative shortlist; I do categorize these artists in what are their chances for probable inclusion onto my ballot.

Likely to go on my ballot.

Mariah Carey
Dave Matthews
Alan Parsons/Eric Woolfson/The Alan Parsons Project
Janelle Monae
Tangerine Dream
The Killers
Foreigner

On my immediate shortlist  and thus possibly going to be on my ballot.

Arctic Monkeys
Deadmau5
Sarah McLachlan
The Strokes
Tears For Fears
Muse
Phil Collins
Joan Jett
Panic! At The Disco
Justin Timberlake
Beyoncé
Ben E. King
Robert Palmer
Carly Simon
Blink 182
Elliott Smith
Sheryl Crow
Supertramp
Neu!

Might consider if momentum is given by fellow posters

Huey Lewis
Kenny Loggins
Pet Shop Boys
Fall Out Boy
The Bangles
Hole
Dan Fogelberg
Vangelis
Mike Oldfield
Lionel Richie
30 Seconds to Mars
Neil Finn
Bread
10cc
Dream Theater
Boston
Yellow Magic Orchestra
X Japan
Gackt
Seal
Peter Tosh
Pat Benatar
Ed Sheeran


Out of left field ideas

Barbra Streisand
MGMT
Franz Ferdinand
Blue Oyster Cult
Kansas
Patti Labelle
Meat Loaf
The Tubes
Ryan Adams
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Ultravox
Jennifer Warnes
The Dells
Steve Hackett
The Stylistics
Sting
Neil Innes
Styx
Spoon
Paul Butterfield
TV On The Radio
Wesley Willis
Squeeze
Gin Blossoms
Toad The Wet Sprocket


Those were Performer candidates.  Now here are some Non-Performer candidates.

Likely to go on my ballot.

Kevin Godley & Lol Crème
Jim Steinman

Possible contenders and left field candidates.

John Landis
Martin Scorsese
Russell Mulcahy
Linda Perry
Hype Williams
Kurt Loder
Cameron Crowe
Murray "The K" Kaufman
Lorne Michaels
David Letterman
Frankie Knuckles
Simon Cowell
Ryan Seacrest
David Foster
Howard Stern
Albert Maysles
D.A. Pennebaker
The Houser Brothers (Sam and Dan Houser from Rockstar Games)
Sir Tim Rice
Bruce Gowers
Doctor Demento
Neil Walls
Hugh Padgham
Steve Lillywhite
Flood
1st Generation MTV VJs
2nd Generation MTV VJs
3rd Generation MTV VJs
Dame Anne Nightingale

Here then are Influences from the pre-Rock and not confined to Rock and Roll eras that are viable candidates.

Likely to be on my ballot.

Tom Lehrer
Loretta Lynn

Probable candidates and left field choices.

Johann Sebastian Bach
John Williams
Lena Horne
Sarah Vaughan
Tony Bennett
Andy Williams
Fats Waller
Harry Belafonte
Kenny Rogers
Elliott Carter
Gene Autry
Roy Acuff
Richard Strauss
Jim Henson
Judy Garland
Aaron Copland
Leonard Bernstein


And finally, here are candidates on my shortlist for the Sidemen category.

Likely to be on my ballot.

Jennifer Batten
Ringo Starr

May be included and also left field ideas.

Paul Carrack
Bill Evans
The Roots
Bob Babbitt
Dick Parry
MFSB
Chester Thompson
George Duke
Steve Lukather
Carlos Alomar
Neil Innes

So, there are some ideas that may come to fruition by the end of the month of October.  It should be a rather interesting discussion that lays ahead.

Talk to you more about this fairly sooner than you think,

Robert

One Interesting Summer

You know it is Summer when the day is so unbearable, you need to install your air conditioners.  Luckily, my family and I lasted through June 11 without the need to crank up the AC.  It has taken the first and hopefully last 90 degree day in New York for that to change; to say nothing of an Air Quality Alert that went out today. 

All the same, with the start of summer my memories keep coming back to June-August 2002.  A lot of changes and discoveries had come to a then 19 year old male like myself who had begun to explore his place in the world and just the year before had found out; I had Asperger's Syndrome.  The one big celebrity I followed that Summer was Robin Williams.  It was in 2002 that Mr. Williams came back to doing stand-up comedy with a vengeance; culminating in his HBO special "Live On Broadway."  In the realm of movies, Robin Williams had starring roles in two films that showed a deeper and rather creepier side which we all felt was just for show.  Those movies, the Christopher Nolan classic "Insomnia" and the Mark Romanek  underrated "One Hour Photo", were clearly amongst the best films that year.  There was a hope that Mr. Williams would have received another Oscar Nomination for either of those movies.  Alas, it was not to be. 

Little did we know that those movies showed us a inner look into Robin Williams that opened his darker side.  It was that sort of depression, confusion and despair that had seeped into Mr. Williams life for a great deal of his 63 years which resulted in him killing himself on August 11, 2014.  I can only speak for myself when I say Robin Williams' passing has left a void in this world which has yet to be filled; nor could it ever be filled. 

In the days ahead I will be looking back at Insomnia, One Hour Photo, Live On Broadway and some other appearances and interviews Robin Williams had done that Summer of 2002 when it seemed like he was at the height of his influence and relevance.  This is not to say it went downhill from there; far from it.  Yet, in that year, Robin Williams I think had the pulse on the world in what we were going through; what we were feeling; and our deepest and darkest tendencies.  Little did we know how much this was tearing Mr. Williams apart in his private life.  Now we have the clues and the hints to look back in retrospect. 

To give you an idea of Robin Williams' genius and interesting outlook on life, here is an excerpt from his 1986 Live At The Metropolitan Opera TV special.  It is something we all know too well.

Talk to you fairly soon,

Robert

Twists of Fate

The word genius is often overstated in many different fields of study.  This is particularly true when songwriting and performing is involved.  Get a hit album or song or tour, everyone will flock to see what is next.  Yet, if we find that the artist is inauthentic, no amount of hits and instant success will mean much of anything.  Last year, this song was number one for a few weeks.

Many liked it initially.  I was not one of them.  My reaction was and is; Magic!, 311 called.  They said they want their songs and ideas back.

Those bands are not what I came to discuss.  Last Friday, I went to see Love and Mercy.  It is in some way a vanity project for Bill Pohlad, the director writer and producer of this film, but in a good way.  Though not a thorough docudrama; it looks at certain eras in the incredible life of Brian Wilson.  Mr. Wilson, who for many years was for the leading figure in The Beach Boys , is a person in the music scene in which the word genius is a bit of an understatement.  There was a certain time in the 1960s when only The Beatles were more influential than The Beach Boys. 

Certainly anyone that is familiar with Brian Wilson know of his, no other way to put it, mental illness which thankfully has been treated well from the nadir of his problems during the 1970s.  In a unique filmmaking technique, Pohlad uses two different actors to indicate different stages of Mr. Wilson's life in a non-linear fashion.  Paul Dano portrays Brian Wilson during the years The Beach Boys had their biggest hits and most creative albums.  Interestingly, the emphasis is on the album recordings than the touring.  We get to see the creative genius in his element when Pet Sounds and later Smile are being made.  And yet with Dano, we see Mr. Wilson being increasingly unable to cope with his mental illness. 

John Cusack portrays Brian Wilson in another time; the mid to late 1980s when the worst of the illness had ended; yet also at a point in his life when Mr. Wilson began to love again when meeting his future wife Melinda (played by Elizabeth Banks) and subsequently breaking ties with his therapist/legal guardian, the highly unorthodox and controversial Eugene Landy (played here with great relish by Paul Giamatti).  There is much to say about these roles; the duality of a man being broken and a man being healed in full for example.  None the less, in short, Love and Mercy is a well made and fittingly great summer movie that is indicative of the need to heal and move forward in life. 

As I mentioned, Bran Wilson was able to heal and is today as prolific as ever.  Mr. Wilson has a new album coming out including some interesting duets.  And he is touring a bit this summer; in fact, fellow Beach Boy Alan Jardine is coming along.  To note, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston continue to utilize the Beach Boys trademark when they go out on the road.  It is quite a long story to explain; suffice to say, as even intimated in Love And Mercy, Wilson and Love who are first cousins had differing ideas of artistry and commercialism.  Yet, there were and are other artists from Mr. Wilson's sphere of influence who have not healed. 

By that I do not mean Brian's brothers Carl and Dennis.  Though both have since passed away, there deaths were different in many respects.  Dennis Wilson died in 1983 at age 39 by drowning while searching for some keepsakes near his boat. Sad to say, Dennis Wilson was in a drunken stupor at the time.  Carl Wilson, who had the least personal issues of the brothers, passed away in 1998 before turning 52 as a result of lung cancer.  Yet, a musician that was part of The Wrecking Crew of session musicians who were a significant part of the Beach Boys sound has not faired so well.

Jim Gordon had also lived somewhat of a normal like yet dysfunctional childhood.  Mr. Gordon had an uncanny knack for rhythm and arrangements; by age 18 he was drumming for The Everly Brothers.  During the 1960s and 1970s, you could not listen to an album or hear the radio without hearing Jim Gordon drumming on a song.  He became a part of The Wrecking Crew, and later on Traffic and also an Eric Clapton offshoot, Derek and the Dominoes.  In fact, in one of Clapton's best known songs, Layla:

That is Jim Gordon playing the piano from the key change onward.  Apparently, Mr. Gordon rewrote and arranged this section, what I like to call the Goodfellas section, as a release from the anguish of Clapton's lyrics. It is quite a beautiful piece of music, showing a hidden genius side not well known for a multi-faceted drummer.

Unfortunately, Jim Gordon was also a paranoid individual that heard voices in his head.  And many of those voices belonged for some reason or another to his mother for reasons not entirely known.  Yet, unlike Brain Wilson, Jim Gordon did not pull back from the brink.  In 1983, on a June afternoon, Mr. Gordon went over to the house he grew up in that was still the residence of his mother.  In order to get the voices in his head to be gone, Mr. Gordon hit his mother nearly 20 times with a bat, followed by stabbing her to death. 

The only good that came out of it, if you can call it that, was the voices inside Jim Gordon's head stopped.  This however left Mr. Gordon's fate to the laws of justice in California.  With an insanity defense not viable, Mr. Gordon was found guilty of murder by a jury of his peers.  For at least the past 31 years, Mr. Gordon has been incarcerated at a California state prison that also serves as a psychiatric ward.  Twice he has been denied parole, still being considered a danger to society at large.  Two years ago, it was revealed that Mr. Gordon's mental illness was still quite apparent, including refusing medication and still believing his mother was alive. 

I do keep wondering what would have happened if Jim Gordon had gotten off of the drugs and alcohol, maybe take longer periods of time off at the height of his success, received medical care or even moved away from the scene.  As well, it is hard to believe now; yet Brian Wilson could have gone that same path in some form or another.  Both Wilson and Gordon are still alive, thank goodness.  Yet, all the same, Brian Wilson has reclaimed his life these past 32 years or so.  Jim Gordon had his life ruined by his own hands 32 years ago.  Mr. Wilson has been able to enjoy the rewards and honors of a spectacular life.  As for Mr. Gordon; we all know he will never be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  If he was kept out from the induction ceremonies for Traffic, how in the heck could Jim Gordon reach the Hall on his own? 

There is one other thing I am interested in discovering.  Has there been any indication that Brian Wilson has Asperger's Syndrome and/or is on the autistic spectrum?  I am not certain, yet the symptoms and traits are apparent, more so now than in his younger years. 

Well, that is something that has been on my mind recently.  It has taken me at least 2 drafts to get my ideas across yet I do hope this has been beneficial.  More will be coming; including video blogs, Q&A matters, and yes I still have my drafts for a probable Doug movie to be considered.  I also have updated my Microsoft Office software, so more writings and multimedia are forthcoming. 

Talk to you all fairly soon,

Robert