Out on DVD this week...

Just wanted to let you know what's out on DVD this week. I watched Stranger Than Fiction and really enjoyed it. There were some things that bothered me about it, but it's one of the better films I've seen lately. I don't know whether I'm going to like Pick of Destiny, A Good Year (based on Peter Mayle's book, A Year In Provence) and Tideland (Terry Gilliam's new film). Have you seen anything good lately? I want to hear your reviews!

I'm just going to say it...I love the Academy Awards

Okay, okay...I know they were too long and Celine should have stayed home, but I must say I really enjoyed this years show. Ellen was relaxed and very funny, there were some entertaining aspects such as the Pilobolus dancers, the awesome sound effects choir, and some other great moments. I agree that there was a lot of fluff that could have been removed, but as a whole I thought it was very entertaining. Not as entertaining as the snow though! Whenever it snows I get so excited I don't know what to do with myself. No more school closings or snow chains but the excitement is still there. We only got 5" in NJ, but in Vermont there is over 2ft! I'm going to make it up there one weekend because I'm feeling snow deprived.

I saw three movies this weekend. For Your Consideration, Babel, and The Prestige. Of the three, I liked The Prestige most. I've always been into stage magic, and this tale of two dueling magicians is sure to please. I didn't care for Consideration or Babel. If you happen to rent For Your Consideration, there is a scene where the sound is completely off. Fred Willard is talking and the camera is behind him. His words don't match up with his lips. I've never seen anything like it!

And the oscar goes to...

How could I not post my predicted winners for this evening's award show. Unfortunately, I missed quite a few of the films being nominated but am going to get to them now that they are on DVD. I did catch the first five minutes of The Last King of Scotland on our plane to Utah. So here we go! Please note, these are the nominees that I think will win, not neccessarily those that I want to win.

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE: FOREST WHITAKER (I'm sad to say that I didn't see any of the films in this category) but Forest has been the talk of the town and has some great buzz.

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: EDDIE MURPHY- There could be a surprise in this race though.

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE: HELEN MIRREN

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: JENNIFER HUDSON

ANIMATED FEATURE: HAPPY FEET- I disagree with this as I think Monster House was a million times better than Happy Feet.

ART DIRECTION: PAN's LABYRINTH

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Children of men

COSTUME DESIGN: DREAMGIRLS

DIRECTING: MARTY SCORSESE

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH-

DOCUMENTARY SHORT: TWO HANDS

FILM EDITING: BABEL

FOREIGN FILM: Pan's Labyrinth

Makeup: Pan's Labyrinth

Music (score): The Queen

Music (song) : Listen from Dreamgirls

Best Picture: Any of the films nominated could take this one. I'm rooting for The Departed and Martin Scorsese this year.

Short Film animated: The Little Matchgirl

Short Film Live Action: Binta and the great idea

Sound Editing: Letters From Iwo Jima

Sound Mixing: Dreamgirls

Visual Effects: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Writing (Adapted Screenplay): The Departed

Writing (original screenplay) : Little Miss Sunshine


I hate picking winners as I usually don't agree with those chosen. We shall see what happens tonight. It's supposed to snow here 3-5 inches tonight. Anyone want to meet up for KFC/Taco Bell tomorrow for lunch? I just heard the CEO say they are changing the name to KFR.

AFV

It's hard for me to believe that America's Funniest Videos is still going strong. The show premiered on January 14, 1990 with host Bob Saget. Many years later, it was hosted by Daisy Fuentes and John Fugelsang. Today, Tom Bergeron has the job of introducing these videos and being corny while doing so. I'm puzzled over the fact that people are still watching this show. Are they really? Are you secretly watching? I thought it was funny back in the day, ohhh perhaps 12 years ago. I wonder if my changed feelings toward this show has to do with age? Maybe I've seen enough kids hit their dad in the nuts with a bat? I don't know...My mission is to come up with the next AHV. Something with silly voiceovers, wacky sound effects, and happy families winning money. Want to brainstorm?


PS. When I exited the West 3rd Street Subway station this morning, a cheery woman tried handing me a NYC Condom. "But I hardly know you, I don't even know your name" was the response I wanted to give. Instead, I declined politely.

In a hottub!

In a hottub!

I've been sick for the past 5 days and am just starting to feel better. Nothing more fun than being sick over a long weekend. I watched a lot of crappy tv, some movies, and read Jim Cramer's new Mad Money book. I recently started to watch Mad Money and have gotten excited about learning the stock market. I played the stock market game like I'm sure many of you did in middle school, but this is the real thing now. I highly recommend watching Jim Cramer's show. His story is an interesting one, and it's amazing how his enthusiasm has gotten young people interested in the stock market. I'm still learning and building up my stock portfolio, but here's what I own as of now:

Apple
Wells Fargo
NewsCorp (yes I know, I feel awful about admitting this one)
Blockbuster

We'll see what happens!

Wholphin DVD...the best gift ever!!!

I want to share something with you and I hope you will subscribe to this after reading the post. I did, and it's the best gift I have ever given myself. I look forward to receiving this quarterly DVD in the mail as it contains some of the best short films that you will ever see. Wholphin DVD is a quarterly DVD magazine from McSweeney's. I first learned of Wholphin at Sundance last year. The content on the DVDs is so incredible and definitely worth subscription price ($40 a year). I have enjoyed everything on the now three issues and I can't even begin to explain some of the things I have seen. There's a documentary on Al Gore by Spike Jonze where he spends time with the Gore family (You HAVE to see this one), a really early film by Alexander Payne, Foreign Sitcoms w/new subtitles written by a bunch of today's best known comedy writers, and much much more. Sound good? Well it really is, and I encourage you to subscribe. Their website is also great because they post many extra films which aren't on the DVDs. When you get your copy give me a call and we can talk about how great they are. Looking for the perfect gift? This is it!

Was that a dreamgirl? or did a car just crash through that wall?

Don't know if any of you saw this news story about a car that plowed through the wall of a movie theater during a showing of "Dreamgirls". It just so happened that the SUV came through in the middle of Jennifer Hudson's version of Cadillac Car.

Icy roads and a dead rat..Oh what a beautiful mornin'

Good evening and welcome to the 10 o'clock news, I'm Evan Lucas. A winter storm is about to blow through our area and it could make the commute tomorrow morning trecherous. We have reporters standing by throughout the tri-state area reporting on the first storm of this winter. Sueshee Raw is in Morristown, NJ- Sueshee...

SueShee:(Bad Graphic and SFX) I'm standing in Morristown NJ and the storm has just started, I'm not sure if you can see the flakes falling behind me (camera turns, doesn't look like it's snowing at all).

Anchor: Thanks, Sueshee! Rob Pendleton is standing by in Westchester, Rob... (another bad graphic and SFX)

Rob: I'm here in Westchester where everyone is stocking up on milk and water. The snow hasn't hit yet, but temperatures are in the 20's with a windchill making it -40 below. Unbelievable...

Anchor: Stay tuned to this news broadcast for updates on school closing and this winter blast. Tina and I brought our sleeping bags so we'll be here all night. Keep safe.

I love snow. I had a hard time falling asleep last night as the white fluffy snow hit my window. Would I awaken to a winter wonderland? Probably not, but how about an icy wonderland? Yes! There was a nice icy coating on the ground and on my car this morning and after some scraping and brushing, I was on the way to the train station. Cars were crawling, some swerving, and I was hoping there would be a spot for me at the station as the parking is very limited. I got a spot, and the train came on time. Not bad!

The worst part of the commute in this morning was almost stepping on a dead rat. It was covered with some snow and ice and hard to see. It was huge and lying on it's back. Luckily I saw it and avoided it but wondered who would step on it? Man or woman? Child? Tall or short? I guess if I had a shovel I would have moved it out of the way, but I don't usually carry shovels to work. It must be nice to wake up in a place where you pass flowers, snowmen, fruit trees, rainbows, misty waters, on the way to work in the morning, not dead rats.

On that note, HAPPY VALENTINE's DAY!, or Singles Awareness day!

Toy Fair 2007!

Here's the segment from Toy Fair 2007!



We had a surprise appearance by Mr. Deal or No Deal himself! We couldn't have worked with his publicists to set up something this good.

Kimberly-Clark

Dear Kimberly-Clark,

We met many years ago. I'm not sure if you remember me, but I washed my hands with you at Littleton School in first grade. You have been with me ever since and are even with me now, at NYU, where you help me cleanse my hands in the men's restroom. I push the lever on the dispenser and some sort of pink soap comes out, but it's the worst soap ever and has a pungent odor. This substance is very difficult to lather and I really think you need to change formulas. It does the job though and that's what matters most. I must also thank you for being there to provide a towel to dry my precious hands after they are washed. With a push of the towel dispenser lever, fresh paper towel is released and I love the sound that paper makes when I violently tear a piece off.

I just wanted to write being that Valentine's Day is tomorrow to thank you for your companionship and for keeping my hands clean throughout the years. I look forward to spending many more years together and please give my love to the family.

All my love,
Evan

Celebrity Lookalikes

I recently caught one of those news programs doing an entire hour long story on the lives of celebrity lookalikes. Not a bad gig if you can get it and look sort of like somebody famous. Many of you commented on the boaz/screech comparison photos I ran a few weeks ago. Well, Boaz has done it again and changed his appearance dramatically, joining the ranks of some of our favorite tv personalities.

Jon's Birthday Bash!

I had to write a brief post about Jon's big 25 year old Birthday Bash which took place yesterday in NJ. Jon's wife,Justine,prepared the most delicious Five Star meal ...honestly, it was an incredible feast. She also baked a tasty chocolate cake and treated guests to wine, beer, and Orangina (12% juice, 2% Pulp). Great food, good company, and Nintendo Wii...what more could anyone ask for? A pony? Well maybe, but it was definitely a fun celebration.

I look forward to many more birthday celebrations to come! And if you are looking for some great party pleasing tips, give Martha and rest and Justine a call!

Toys, Toys, Toys

When you hear the word "toys" what do you think of? That wonderful Robin Williams flick? Chucky? Barbie? The NY International TOy Fair comes to my mind, and we took our annual trip there on opening day yesterday. While spending too much time at this fair can be exhausting, it is also very exciting. All these exhibitors with their toys, buyers, and press are all roaming around from booth to booth. There are bubbles, dolls, toys that give you an electric shock, shooting games, marshmellow guns, novelty items, games, toys that whizz, candy toys, and much more. There are even some celebrity (if you can call them that) appearances. Adam West was there the first year and Ken Jennings last year. This year, Howie Mandel and John O'Hurley. We interviewed a Rubiks cube champion who solved the cube blindfolded. While we were filming this, Howie Mandel walked up and stood in amazement. Some words were exchanged and he then continued on his way to another booth where he signed autographs to promote the Deal or No Deal game. All in all, a great time was had by all. Here is the segment from our visit to the toy fair last year which will give you an idea of what it's like. Enjoy!

Karaoke Saturday

Yes that's right, it's Karaoke Saturday! So grab a friend or partner and head over to Singshot, record a song and send it my way!

I.P.O.D.

I'm sure you have already heard that NY State Senator Carl Kruger proposed a bill that would outlaw the use of ipods, cell phones, Blackberries, video games or other electronic devices when crossing the street. Senator Kruger will next propose that anyone who leaves a public restroom seat up will be fined. I think it's nice that he cares about the lives of people who get so into their electronic devices that they don't pay attention to their street actions, but how about we focus on some of the more pressing issues in this city? Geez, what's next? Astronauts being arrested on attempted murder charges? Puhleeeze..watch out Buzz!

I started to watch "HOUSE" again and Hugh Laurie continues to amaze me. The guy is just too good and there is some brilliant dialogue. I encourage you to check it out if you can. This weekend, Boaz and I are taking our annual trip to the International Toy Fair!! Every year we talk with inventors of some great toys and games and there's always something wacky and fun. I will give a report on Monday!

What's New Pussycat?

For those of you who requested it, here it is....

Tired

I stayed up too late last night singing Karaoke and am currently thawing after a short walk from the subway to work. It's so cold I saw a rat in the subway with dunkin donuts coffee. It's so cold, the squirrels in central park are starting bonfires. It's so cold, Prince is now covered with ice.

(Okay, now everyone join in)

Colts are currently in the lead and I'm singing karaoke

I came across this and I got sucked in. Let me know when you create a profile so we can share karaoke songs. You can search for member niceevana. It's now 11:29pm on Sunday night and I am singing like a madman. I'm afraid to listen to these in the morning.

Clips and Quips Article in Yesterday's Star Ledger

I've been keeping my eye out for this article in The NJ Star Ledger and it was in yesterday's paper. I didn't get a copy of it, so if you know someone who might have it let me know!

THE IRA GLASS INTERVIEW YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR

Here is an interview (in two parts) w/Ira Glas, Host of This American Life that we did at Sundance. This interview is fantastic and it's as though the camera just captured Boaz and Ira having a normal conversation on a park bench ehh patio chairs. Pure chemistry.


The interview begins...




The interview continues...