Archive for: January, 2006

SAG Awards: I Watched So You Didn’t Have To

Jan 30 2006 Published by under Celebrities, Movies, Oscar Worthy Movies, Pop Culture

MoviesI find it funny that an industry that fears aging more than death would call its union SAG, but irony aside, the glitterati came out last night to toast themselves for about the 317th time in the last 10 days. That’s right, it’s SAG Awards time.

I was so bummed out about missing the now-infamous Scarlett Johannson golden globes grope at the Golden Globes, I even watched the red carpet. Oh… my… god… Listening to Ryan Seacrest interview the celebrities was so mind-numbing I actually felt myself getting retarded.

The actual awards, however, were more interesting… barely. Apparently the fact that Brokeback Mountain won nothing only makes it a stronger contender for the Oscar (don’t ask me how that works. It’s apparently an oddity of Hollywood). Probably the best part of the show was the acceptance speech for ensemble cast by the cast of Lost. Other than that, you didn’t miss much.

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LA City Attorney/Troubled Candidate Attacks Video Games

Jan 30 2006 Published by under Democrats, Elections, Gaming, Politics

PoliticsGamingCrimeIt was only a matter of time before some local politician in a losing campaign tried to make hay out of the Grand Theft Auto/Hot Coffee scandal, and it’s finally happened. Rocky Delgadillo (who is currently trailing his rival by about 20 points in the race to be Attorney General of California) has filed charges against the company responsible for the game mod – Take Two Interactive.

Delgadillo claims Take-Two and engaged in unfair business practices by hiding the mod and thereby avoiding an Adults Only (AO) rating for the game.

It’s really sad that a politician in desperate political straights is trying to exploit cartoon sex in a video game to score points. Doesn’t Los Angeles have bigger crime issues than a video game? Are drugs still flowing through the city like a river? How about OJ? Has he killed anyone lately?

Despite the stories in the LA Times of killings, gang shootings and Gypsy thieves, Delgadillo wants us to believe the biggest danger to southern California is gang bangers closing up shop so they can have simulated sex on the Xbox.

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Nettwerk To The Rescue

Jan 30 2006 Published by under Crime, Music, News Media

MusicHere’s an interesting development from the world of music, illegal downloads and the madcap antics of the RIAA. It seems one record label has had enough of RIAA’s heavy handed tactics and is helping a US family fight the RIAA in court. Nettwerk CEO Terry McBride explains:

“Litigation is not ‘artist development.’ Litigation is a deterrent to creativity and passion and it is hurting the business I love. The current actions of the RIAA are not in my artists’ best interests.”

If only more of the music industry thought this way. I, for one, am really impressed by McBride. To show my support, I may have to stop at Tower on the way home and pick up some Nettwerk artists. If you want to get behind this, visit Nettwerk’s site to get a complete list of artists. They’ve got some talent on the label and through representation – among them Barenaked Ladies, Tiesto, Avril Lavigne (In the interest of full disclosure, I like her music. It’s a guilty pleasure), and Sarah McLachlan (Who, also in the interest of full disclosure, I don’t and won’t own.)

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Google Boycott

Jan 28 2006 Published by under News Media, Society, Technology, The Internet

TechnologyThe noise online over Google’s choice to restrict services at the behest of the Chinese government is growing. People are starting to organize and pulling AdWord buys in protest.Instapundit has some details.

He’s right that the boycott movement, even if it became monumental, would have little impact. The amount of money Google stands to make by tapping into the Chinese market is staggering. The withdrawal of US customers, while potentially damaging, would be minor compared to the economic possibilities in a land with a billion people. Hopefully it sends a message, though.

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Those Wacky Dems

Jan 28 2006 Published by under Democrats, Elections, Politics, The Internet

PoliticsFor some time now, the right wing blogosphere has been calling attention to a significant problem the Democrats face – the rabid nature of the left wing blogs. It seems the Washington Post has finally caught on to this problem.

It’s going to be a tough struggle for the Democrats. The average swing voter is pretty mellow when it comes to matters of public policy. They may oppose our involvement in Iraq, but they understand the realities of an immediate pullout. They may be concerned about ethical problems in Washington, but they assume (following 3 decades of bi-partisan scandals) that it’s simply the way Washington works and don’t point fingers at one party or another.

Democrats trying to make hay out of ethical problems have 8 years of Clinton finance scandals that must be accounted for if they wish to claim purity.

Democrat bloggers, by comparison, demand not only the immediate withdrawal of troops, but the arrest of the President and trial as a war criminal. They clamor for prosecution of anyone who took money directly from Abramoff; but they claim contributions by his clients to Democrats should be ignored.

The Democrat party leadership, and their potential candidates, have spent the last two years in bed and spooning with the extremist wing of their party, and now they must reconcile the demands of the radical left with the political sensibilities of mainstream Americans. That attempt fell short in 2003-2004. The Democrats, throughout their primary, engaged in the extreme rhetoric of their Internet base (remember Al Gore’s comparison of Hitler and the President). Immediately after the primary battle, they tried to turn to the middle, but the left wing blogs opposed that shift. While they acknowledged the political reality of the move, they created sites like www.JohnKerryIsADouchebagButImVotingForHimAnyway.com.

They undermined, in word and deed, their party’s efforts to attract the attention of moderates.

The Democrats will have a harder time this year. The bloggers have become more shrill, more radicalized, and less inclined toward common-sense governance and compromise.

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