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.

Good week for DVDs

Funny that two of the three movies I saw in theatres this year came out on DVD the same day. Funnier still that I actually purchased both; I'm becoming cheap in my old age, although lack of shelf space has become a bigger factor in movie purchasing, I suppose.

Wal-mart has two-packs of the Simpsons Movie: you get some plastic figures or a t-shirt. I went with the shirt, which was wadded/folded/vacuumed into a doughnut-sized circle. I had a lot of fun peeling it open. My DVD was defective though- wouldn't play in either player in the house. I took it back at 6:00 this morning to exchange it. Couldn't stomach the thought of a trip to Wal-mart during the day time, three days before Christmas.

I also picked up Stardust. I liked the movie just fine, although it's nowhere near as good as the book.

Christmas tags

1) Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
2) Share Christmas facts about yourself.
3) Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
4) Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. Wrapping or gift bags? I prefer the traditional gift enclosure of wrapping paper.

2. Real or artificial tree? Artificial. I'm no Ed Begley, but I hate to kill a tree for a few weeks worth of amusement. Real trees do smell nice though; maybe I should hang a pine-scented car freshener in my plastic tree?

3. When do you put up the tree? When I get around to it, although you MUST wait until after Thanksgiving, dammit! (It went up Monday night, for the record).

4. When do you take the tree down? When I get around to it.

5. Do you like eggnog? I love eggnog. I'll drink it until I'm sick. (I just finished a glass of it, as a matter of fact.)

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Atari 2600 with the faux wood grain finish on the console. Got Pacman and Asteroids that Christmas too.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Nope.

8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Can't really think of anything.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. I like being jacked up by the government and their ever-increasing postal rates.

10. Favorite Christmas movie? The Holy Trinity of Christmas movies: A Christmas Story, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and White Christmas.

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually right before the last minute, although I've gotten better about buying things throughout the year.

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Food.

13. Clear lights or colored? I like both. The wife likes clear, so guess which is on the tree.

14. Favorite Christmas song? Santa Claus Is Back In Town, by Elvis.

15. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? Stay at home.

16. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Rudolph, Blitzen, Donner, Prancer, Larry, Moe, Sam, and Engelbert?

17. Angel or star on the top of your tree? Star. Has to be a star.

18. Open your presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? Both.

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The fact that people can't be nice and helpful any other time of the year.

20. What do you leave for Santa? Beer and pretzels.

21. Least favorite holiday song? I'm not much for Away In A Manger.

22. Do you decorate your tree with any specific theme or color? Not unless "willy-nilly" is a specific theme.

23. Favorite ornament? A plastic Snoopy ornament that's about as old as I am.

The tagging of the seven to follow shortly.

Hillbilly Hare

(A quick word of thanks to my pal, Tommy for 'splaining how to post links from YouTube. Other than being pretty, we keep him around 'cause he's smart and knows lots of stuff.)

This is one of my favorite Bugs Bunny cartoons from back in the day; don't really know why, but it is. (Okay, I do know why, but I'm almost too ashamed to admit it: Bugs is pretty hot when he's dressed up as a sultry mountain lass.)

Enjoy the picture.

Ummm...beer.

If you're a beer fan who enjoys trying new things (things, being beer), might I suggest Major Tom's Pomegranate Wheat Ale? I picked some up at the World Market recently and I must say that it's rather tasty.