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It’s well known, amongst men anyway, that the male species is genetically predisposed to hate the romantic films. Even the romantic comedy. How many conversations have gone like this before?

“Honey, let’s go see [insert name of latest Hollywood romantic thing here] tonight?”

“Shit no, honey. I’d rather fuck myself with a salad fork while river rafting than see that piece of poo.”

Or something like that.

I’m one of those men who exceedingly rarely will see a romantic film or romantic comedy and of those that I’ve seen, I can count the number I actually enjoyed using only my penis. Well, that’s not entirely true, but it’s close. (”Sleepless in Seattle” is a notable exception, but that’s not what this posting is about so let’s move on, ok?) It’s not that I’m a cold hearted bastard out of touch with his own emotions and unable to enjoy something that’s not testosterone filled. That’s entirely not the case. The fact of the matter is that most romantic films made in Hollywood are insipid pieces of trash with very unrealistic romanticism. They’re rarely true to life and generally help to perpetuate a romance that doesn’t exist and never did.

A couple of years back I saw “Bridget Jones’ Diary” on one of the pay channels and was quite pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed it. While it still falls in to some of the traps of the typical romantic film, the sensibility and intelligence of the comedy really shone through to create a really decent film. I admit it, I really enjoyed it.

So, when I heard they were making a sequel, I was intrigued. See, I’d LIKE to enjoy the romantic comedy, but something like Bridget Jones is a rarity. Tonight I went to see “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason” and once again I found a romantic comedy that was good. It’s an almost wholly predictable film, with the exception of a fun set of twists at the end that catch you off guard, but the comedy is top notch and possibly better than the first. It almost seems like with the Bridget Jones films they specifically tried to craft a story that would appeal to both male and female sensibilities.

Favorite parts? Pretty much any scene with Hugh Grant, but especially the “fight” between Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. Had me on the floor.

If more romantic comedies were of the level of these two films, they’d probably have me seeing them more often than I do.

Back in February I noted how I had finally listened to DJ Danger Mouse’s “The Grey Album,” you know that remix of the Beatles “White Album” and Jaz-Z’s “Black Album?” I surprised myself by how much I liked it and still throw on a track or two when I’m working.

Just saw over on BoingBoing that someone’s taken things a step further and created a video for one of Mouse’s remixes. The Grey Video is worth your time.

Still highlly illegal. Goodie.

Gotta say I’m curious as to the story behind this. The whois lookup on the domain revealed only the name Antoine Tinguely as a contact. A quick google search finds an Antoine Tinguely who won an Emmy for main title design back in 2003. One and the same?

It is my firm belief that if the world drank more Tang, the world would just be fucked in a more different way. I’m not saying it would be better, just different. I love Tang.

The astronauts drank the Tang. They may not have loved it, but they drank it. Considering the orange shit’s orbited the fucking earth, it’s a shame it’s drunk as little as it is by adults. It seems you either have to be a child or Latino to enjoy some Tang. I, on the other hand, break down barriers wherever I see them and drink Tang in celebration of my inner child … and maybe my inner Latino. If I have one. I’d prefer to have an inner Latina, but that’s a different discussion.

Tang is orangey goodness. It doesn’t taste like orange juice. It doesn’t even taste like fruit juice. It tastes like orange. This is the taste the color orange has and they’ve found a way to distribute it in powdery form. It’s like cocaine, but orange and without the nasal destructive powers.

Fuck Country Time. Fuck Crystal Light. Fuck all y’all powdered drinks and shit. Tang’s where it’s at.

Drink Tang. It’ll give you large nipples.

Ohhh, and two shots of vodka in Tang may not taste particularly good, but you will see trails.

By now most of you reading this are aware of my Father’s health situation. It’s been one of the most trying and challenging times in my life to watch someone you love dearly to deteriorate.

A little over two years ago my Mother was diagnosed with soft-tissue carcinoma, a rare, but treatable form of cancer. Her recovery was difficult and long, but she fought the bitch and came out on top.

This past Wednesday my Mom started to experience stomach pains. They got worse, so she took herself to the ER. The doctors believed she had two hernias, one small and one rather large. Surgery was in order. Thursday they would operate.

All this while I’m in the middle of a server move that must happen. I have no choice but to do it, it can not be delayed because the network I’m currently on will be shutting down shortly. Server moves generally go smoothly, but they’re a lot of work and generally take a while.

So I’ve got my father in a care center, my mother’s in the hospital and I’ve got work that must be done.

Damn.

Now, regarding my Mom, my greatest fear was that the cancer had returned. The best news I got all day Thursday was that my fears were completely wrong, that it was indeed two hernia’s and the doctor didn’t see anything unusual when he explored inside. She’ll make a full recovery and will hopefully be home on Sunday.

To say the least the last 24 hours have been taxing. The timing of everything was bizarre. Frankly, it’s almost a cliche that all these events shoudl transpire at the same time. I’m just glad things are looking up again. Maybe this damned headache will go away soon.

Saw “The Incredibles” Sunday night. Earlier in the weekend Andy said after seeing it that it may have been his favorite movie of the year. Now, I’ve really enjoyed all of the Pixar films so far with “Finding Nemo” at the top of that heap, but to say it was the best movie he’s seen all year seemed almost far fetched.

I was wrong. He was right. It’s a damned good movie.

Sure, I’m a comics fan and have had a super hero jones, but it’s not just the super hero connection which had me freaking like a monkey in heat when the film was over. It satirizes the super hero genre nicely with a very strong story and and unbelievable design. The artistic direction on the film was staggering at times. Oh, and the action … the action. It puts films like “The Matrix,” known for their action sequences, to shame.

I very, very rarely see films a second time in theaters. I’m seriously considering going again this week.

When I moved to my current home almost seven years ago in what is now referred to as the NoHo Arts Distric (aka South-North Hollywood or SoNoHo as I like to call it), I was the only one amongst my friends and colleagues who lived on this side of the valley. Most of my friends were on the west side of Los Angeles, Hollywood or the west side of the valley. I was even told by some friends I had “moved far away.” Whatever. But I really didn’t know this area at all well and didn’t know anyone else who lived all that near by.

Within my first year of living here, totally randomly four friends ended up moving within walking distance from my home, another moved into the apartment across the hall from me and I met two new people who also lived within walking distance. It was really kind of cool that in a three block area in Los Angeles I had a number of friends living near by, some I’ve known for almost twenty years.

That’s all coming to an end. This December the last of that group of seven will be moving about 30 minutes away. Over time they all settled in different places. One bought a home in Marina Del Rey and another bought one up in Canyon Country. Two people moved for jobs, one out in the Inland Empire and the other went to Manhattan. One moved back home to Colorado, having found LA not the place for her. And the final two are moving about 30 minutes away, once again for work.

You know, if I was self-obsessed slob, I’d think it was because of me. Thankfully I’m just a regular old slob.

So, does this mean it’s time for me to move? If not for the fact that I really like where I live, I’d take it as some sort of sign.

I’ve never been a big fan of signs, though. Especially Stop signs. Those bastards fuck everything up.

So, who’s enjoying the new ABC show “Lost” as much as I am?

The media keeps calling the show a “surprise hit,” but I think anyone who was working on it, including the network, knew early on that this show was going to be big. I can imagine once dailies started coming back the network started to relax a bit as FINALLY, for the first time in years, ABC would have a new show people talked about on the air. It’s been an incredible ride so far.

The premise alone is rather simple, far-fetched and frankly kind of stupid. Plane crashes, the survivors land on a deserted island, little chance of a rescue. Admit it, that alone just sounds lame. First off, it’s not often when you have a plane crash like they depicted on the show that there’d be any chance of survivors. Second of all, deserted island with little chance of a rescue? Convenient. BUT, the writing and creative team J. J. Abrahms has put together has crafted one of the most intriguing storylines on television and a most interesting and compelling cast of characters.

Thus far our star Jack and Locke are the most interesting to watch. Locke, played deftly by Terry O’Quinn (”The West Wing,” “Millenium,” “Alias”), is easily my favorite character on the show. The episode where we were given some insight into Locke’s history was fascinating. It let us see that he may not be as crazy as we originally thought, but the man deserves some watching. He’s a man who has clearly found his spiritual side and it’s going to guide him for the rest of their time on the island. Without both of these men the islanders would be no where.

I was reading a comics message board tonight and read a comment Ron Marz found in TV Guide about the show that I found interesting. In the second episode one of the characters found a spanish translated American comic. TV Guide said:

“Eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed a picture of a polar bear in the comic Walt (Malcolm David Kelley) was reading in Episode 2. Is there a connection between that and the bear the castaways inexplicably encounter and kill on the island? ‘All I can say is, every prop is absolutely intentional,” Lindelof says. The comic is actually a Spanish translation of ‘Green Lantern/Flash: Faster Friends’ Part 1, which chronicles the superheroes’ attack on an alien that turns out to be peaceful. Says Abrams, ‘We definitely chose that story for a reason.’”

Okay, that’s VERY interesting. The question we’ve all had so far is, “What the fuck is happening on this island?” This quote may give some clues as to what’s happening. Is something odd, possibly mystical, happening wherein the thoughts of the characters on the island create or affect that which is going on around them? Do they unconsciously have control of their surroundings? Would that explain the recent cave-in or the strange transmission they picked up?

Regardless, the show has me hooked. I’m curious how over time characters will change in appearance. For instance Hurley, the over weight but always eager to please character, will eventually have to start slimming down as physical exertion and lack of food take their course. Will all of our male characters have full beards and long hair by season #2? How will the clothing and physical appearance of everyone on the island change with time?

Wednesday’s at 8:00 - there’s only one show worth watching and it’s “Lost.”