“Wow… I’d hate to have to follow THAT!”

After a presumably moving moment of the 79th Annual Academy Awards, host Ellen Degeneres dropped that line, playing oblivious to the fact that she indeed WAS following said moment; quickly running out of anything resembling actual wit, Ellen actually fell back on that line a second time during the bloated annual cinema ceremony. I wasn’t sure if she was referring to this year’s Oscar moments or the fact that she was following in the wake of last year’s controversial, Hollywood-troubling but hilarious Jon Stewart.

Swapping the incisive, biting, roast-like humor of The Daily Show’s much acclaimed host for the bland, safe and inane banter of Ellen, the Academy traded self-deprecation for self-aggrandizement this time around. Personal note: if you want to worship yourself, hire a choir; a whole chorus singing the praises of the nominees danced through the aisles, sharing the gospel of Oscar with Hollywood’s best dressed and 30 million viewers. Ellen did her best to be All-American and wholesome, even swapping outfits from red, to white, to blue; I just wish someone had told her she was supposed to be hosting the Oscars, not simply baby-sitting them. I actually found myself missing the tired smarm of Billy Crystal. (more…)

One of the greatest chick flicks of all time, Shaun of the Dead is a great romance movie..

With blood. And Zombies. And a lot of laughter… if you’re a little bit twisted. Simon Pegg released Hot Fuzz as his comedy follow-up, and will be the new “Scotty” in J.J. Abrams new Star Trek flick.

It’s interesting to examine the phenomenon of the zombie, apocalypse, survivalist horror, walking death, and (in the case of this film) an examination of prolonged adolescence, the meaninglessness of life, and what women really look for in a man.
This movie has everything. Even cricket!

I had the privilege of unpacking the complexities of Simon Pegg’s hilarious character at our Ballard Campus and this hour of audio is the result.

Listen right here by clicking the play button above.

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With five days of hell tucked squarely in Jack Bauer’s handbag, a sixth day (or, more accurately, sixth season) of Fox’s “24″ seemed pretty much. well, in the bag. However, Bauer’s battle transitioned from “real-time” to real life, as a new enemy beat him in the ratings.

NBC’s critically acclaimed new action/drama “Heroes” captured nearly a half-million more viewers, emerging as the #1 series on television in adults 18-49 and other key adult demographics according to Nielsen Media Research. Some might attribute this series’ success to the show’s well-paced plot and intelligent writing, or the smart development and direction that evoke comparisons to television like “The X-Files”, and “Lost”, or M. Night Shyamalan’s film “Unbreakable”. I believe it’s something much deeper. It strikes squarely on a larger phenomenon that has been swelling in our media for the last decade.

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