Review of THE ASTRONAUT FARMER

Tonight Lisa and I watched The Astronaut Farmer. I didn't know too much about this movie going in other than a very basic premise, and that it stars Billy Bob Thornton. And I'd heard some good about it, so we checked it out.The Astronaut Farmer is one of the bigger delights that I have discovered via Netflix lately. It's about Charlie Farmer (Thornton), an aeronautical...

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Star Wars Trumpet Girl!

In case anyone's wondering, this is not like the "Star Wars kid" video. That was cruel and tasteless, because the young man in question never went looking for that kind of attention. That's something that still bothers me to this day, that it happened.This video is altogether different. Entering a contest like this makes you a public figure and whatever you choose to do on stage, it becomes wide-open for observation and scrutiny. That's just...

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Food, flames and fun at Arigato Japanese Steakhouse

Last night Lisa and I joined my parents and my sister Anita for dinner at Arigato Japanese Steakhouse in Greensboro, to celebrate Anita's birthday. This was the second time we've been to Arigato and whenever we've gone there, we've beheld quite a show. Chef Nawh (shown at left during one of the evening's more spectacular moments) thrilled us not only with his outstanding...

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TRANSFORMERS score CD news: ScoreNotes.com review, Amazon and store availability, and update on the signed copy eBay auction

There's not nearly as much news about Transformers: The Score as I wish I could relay to y'all tonight. But here 'tis...First, word is that Warner Records is still "scrambling" to distribute the score CD. Someone told me that this past week was something of "a shock" regarding demand for this album.Amazon is still reflecting the shortage. Earlier on Friday morning the site said that it would again be in stock on October 20th. Right now it's saying...

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Interview with Jesse Brown on CBC Radio One's SEARCH ENGINE about the Viacom/YouTube mess

Search Engine hosted by Jesse Brown is a show on CBC Radio One ("CBC" being the Canadian Broadcasting Company). It's about issues pertaining to the Internet and it's heard by our good friends all across the Great White North. Last week Jesse phoned all the way down here to Reidsville, North Carolina and interviewed me about my recent situation with Viacom and the supposed...

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Poignant report by Chad Austin on the 2007 Chicago Marathon

You may have heard about the 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon that took place this past weekend. Unfortunately the race made very sad news because of the record-high temperature that resulted in the death of one runner and about 300 others having to be hospitalized for heat-related illnesses. Conditions became so severe that the marathon was ultimately canceled before...

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Countdown clock to LOST Season 4

Are you a fellow Lost fanatic for whom February 2008 just can't get here fast enough? Here's something to help you keep track of how long it will be before our beloved mythology returns: the "Countdown to the Next New Lost Episode"!Notice that I've also embedded it in the left-hand column. If you want this for your own blog, crash down here! Thanks to Adam Feldman for the great find (and congratulations to Adam and his wife on the very-soon arrival...

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TRANSFORMERS 2 shaping up fast and my vow regarding TRANSFORMERS: THE SCORE

Tonight I'm still getting plenty of e-mails from folks telling me their tales of woe regarding their not being able to find Transformers: The Score anywhere.How bad is this? Enough that I'm now feeling some regret at having some copies of the CD here, knowing that most people aren't getting it.So here's my solemn vow, as an Eagle Scout...Being that I cannot in good conscience listen to Transformers: The Score and feel right about that after knowing...

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Final poster for I AM LEGEND

Courtesy of Ain't It Cool News, here is the final theatrical poster for I Am Legend, which is now coming out in December...I sooooo hope they've done this one right. I Am Legend is one of my all-time favorite horror stories. Unfortunately no film adaptation has really come close to nailing the loneliness and desperation of the original novel. Not even The Omega Man with...

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TRANSFORMERS score CD update: "'Till All Have One!"

Just because yesterday was the release date, doesn't mean that the struggle is over with. We won't stop demanding Transformers: The Score ...Bigtime props to Mike Halverson for coming up with that awesome line!(It's a paraphrase of the '"Til all are one!" final quote from the 1986 animated Transformers movie, in case ya didn't know :-)Now, on to serious business regarding...

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Universal turning LAND OF THE LOST into a comedy starring Will Ferrell?!

This sucks donkeys balls to no end.Yeah you read that right: I did dare to use my personal "worst epithet ever" for this. Because everything about this project (with the possible exception of Will Ferrell which I'll get to later) screams out "wrong" in every way possible.I was 5 years old and in kindergarten when WFMY out of Greensboro started showing Land of the Lost on weekday afternoons at 3:30. Land of the Lost, even before I ever saw a Star...

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TRANSFORMERS Score CD Roundup: "Good first day!" at Warners but distribution problems plague Canada and elsewhere

Okay, let's try to make sense of this...Earlier today reports came in that Transformers: The Score was being found at a number of stores across the United States. I'm wondering how many copies those places got though 'cuz I've been asking these same folks who wrote in then and they all said that they got the last or next-to-last copy on the shelves. So some went out. But were they enough?Apparently not 'cuz the vast majority of people who've written...

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TRANSFORMERS score CD is selling out on first day!

Transformer World 2005 is hosting multiple reports that Transformers: The Score, which went on sale today, is selling out all over the place.Among the accounts...- "Checked three stores today. Best Buy - Got in several copies, set them out before opening, sold out in less than an hour. This from a hardcore Transformers fan who works there. She didn't even get her copy, as they were gone before she got to work. Target - They aren't even in their...

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Marco van Bergen's review of TRANSFORMERS: THE SCORE

Here is Marco van Bergen's review of Transformers: The Score, which in some ways is considerably better than my own 'cuz Marco gets into a lot of detailed analysis of the score as a technical achievement. Well worth checking out if you've a good mind (and ear) with music appreciation and terminology ...

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TRANSFORMERS: THE SCORE is on sale TODAY!

Just a friendly reminder that today, October 9th 2007, is the day that Transformers: The Score, the CD of Steve Jablonsky's beautiful orchestral soundtrack from the movie Transformers, goes on sale.I had hoped to have photos of it on the sales rack, but the Wal-Mart here in Reidsville doesn't have it yet (they can be slow in putting new music and DVDs out anyway). But some...

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So what do I believe about law enforcement?

Earlier today I received an e-mail from a fella named John, who is a law enforcement officer in a major metropolitan area. John has been a supporter of the Transformers score (out today!) but he mainly wrote to share some concerns he had with things I've written here lately about law officers abusing their power.It was a very good letter that he wrote me. And I absolutely listened to him and took his words to heart. And it made me realize that...

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NOT AGAIN! School uniforms come up at tonight's Board of Education meeting (and I try to get tasered!)

After everything that happened at the July meeting, you would think that Standard Mode Of Dress ("SMOD") aka school uniforms would not come up again anytime soon at the Rockingham County Board of Education. Or ever again for that matter.Well, tonight it did.Take a wild guess who brought it up.Now to be fair, Ron Price did not outright suggest putting the SMOD issue back up for discussion as something to be immediately implemented (all hell would...

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