The Coens are boss

Nice to see the Coen brothers receive the recognition they deserve; their fellow SAG members named them best feature film directors for 2007.

I'm an unabashed fan of the Coens. Simply put, I believe they're the best film makers since that old British guy made pictures about birds, shower killin's, and peeking in someone else's window. They consistently put out amazing movies with incredible dialogue and characterizations, whether it be the absurdity of Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski, to the gritty intensity of No County For Old Men or Miller's Crossing.

What continues to amaze me about their films is how tough it can be to track one down in a theatre. The Tommy and I saw No Country about a month ago, after finally tracking it down in one theater between Knoxville and Chattanooga. That's ridiculous.

I can only hope it'll now be part of a wider release with all of the SAG and Oscar talk it's been stirring up lately so people will actually be able to see this incredible film on the big screen.

Yeesh, what a waste.

Yesterday was my first Braves Fanfest. It'll probably be my last.

I appreciated the free parking at Turner Field. I appreciated the free shuttle bus ride to the venue (they can afford free bus rides because the city of Atlanta saves a fortune by NOT installing any form of suspension on said buses).

There were food vendors, memorabilia dealers, historic displays, and activities for kids. All appreciated. What wasn't appreciated, however, was the decision to make the autograph sessions "treasure hunt" style. Instead of getting into a line for, say, John Smoltz or Brian McCann, you get in one of two gigantic lines and whoever is signing when you reach the end of the line is the signature you get. What does this mean? It means instead of getting Smoltz or McCann's autographs yesterday, I stood in line for three and a half hours for Brian Snitker (he's the Braves third base coach, for those who don't know-- i.e. everybody). No offense to Mr. Snitker, but that's not what I had in mind when I spent fifteen bucks on that damn Bud ball. I heard some folks complain about being in line for over five hours, only to have Chipper Jones get up and leave ten minutes before they reached the end of the line. Those folks were treated to the opportunity to have Charlie Leibrant sign their stuff. Wow.

Not the best decision, Fanfest officials. Not by a long shot.

Braves FanBoy Gathering: 2008

And I'll be one of those fan boys standing in line for the opportunity to have a man who's obscenely overpaid to play a children's game sign an Official Used Car Salesman MLB baseball. (I paid fifteen bucks for the ball, by the way. Maybe I'll ask one of the players to sign over Bud's signature.)

Seriously though, I'm looking forward to a day of baseball with The Tommy and such; I hope to have pics to share with the rest of the class.