You know, I don't watch a lot of comedies. Don't know why. I used to watch more of them but very rarely do I nowadays. Having said that, FOR GOD'S SAKE, WATCH THE OFFICE! WATCH IT!!! The ratings for this show and My Name is Earl (which is very funny, as well) are low but critical acclaim has kept it around(and an Emmy as well). This show is HILARIOUS. Last week's season premiere had me laughing so much that my wife came in and was like "Shhh, you'll wake William!" How do shows like this struggle and other shows like According To Jim, a show that I have NEVER met a person that watches it, keep going? You have to watch this show. It's on Thursdays at 8:30. THAT'S TONIGHT!!! If it gets cancelled I will be very upset. And that might kill sitcoms for good with me...

Last week I mentioned that I don't like to write about the Mets because I am so superstitious about them. And they've gone 2-7 since then, getting their asses kicked royally along the way. See?

Proud day. My little guy William is three years old today. Wow. To my wife and I sometimes it seems like it was only yesterday that he was born and other times it feels like it's been seventeen years. This guy is our world, he truly is. He's also extremely nutty. And he's only three....

Well, The Mets finally clinched the NL East last night. Glad about that. I haven't written about the Mets this summer really. Of all the New York teams I'd have to say that I the most superstitious about the Mets. I'm afraid I'm gonna jinx 'em. Last Friday I was in the kitchen at work and this guy Alex walks in and says "Are you ready for them to clinch tonight?" And I was like "Whoa, champ, take it easy. Slow down there." And he said "Dude, they're playing the Pirates." I was like "Aw man, you've gone and done it now." Of course The Pirates swept the Mets and the Mets looked BAD, they looked like they were lost out there. So I came in on Monday and I said to Alex ""Dude, they're playing the Pirates". Man, you had to go and open your f$%@in' mouth!"
Then, as I was leaving yesterday he says "Dude, they're playing the Marlins!" I said "Get the hell away from me!"
If they had lost last night I would've punched him in the face and wired his jaw shut. Luckily it didn't come to that. I'm happy they clinched but that's just a first step in a long fight for the title. I'll be nervously watching...

I finally got around to starting a Superman Returns drawing...but the Illustrator file went crazy and I had to export the unfinished piece to Photoshop. I eventually was able to find a way to retrieve the Illustrator art so I'll finish it soon. There are some problems with it. The tops of the boots are curved upward but they should be down, according to the perspective. The left arm is cartoony, yes, but I did a line indicating that the forearm is in front of the bicep-tricep area and that's wrong too. You still gotta follow SOME anatomy rules. I don't know what I was thinking. And that right leg is bad. I just kinda slugged it in there in order to finish it later.So there are issues with it. I'll get it done.

As far as the movie goes, I finally saw it about a month ago, maybe a little more. I liked it. I didn't LOVE it but I liked it. It's a good stepping off point for a franchise. The movie is a little long and light on plot but it was really just getting that feeling of Superman being back and what that means to the world and, specifically, Lois. The big plot development didn't bother me. I know there are comic purists out there losing their damn minds over it but that didn't really bug me. Not sure where they are GOING with it but I kinda suspect that it could be towards a bad thing. I don't know if they have the stones to do it but I think it would be wild if the kid died. If Zod killed him. I heard some stuff about there possibly being Zod and Brainiac in the next movie, if they make one (and the WB would be crazy if they didn't). Imagin Zod finding out that Supes has a kid. Try hearing this in a Terrance Stamp voice in your head. "What better way to exact my revenge? To kill the son of Jor-El, AND the son of Kal-El!"

Corny, I know. But you get my point. Imagine Superman arriving too late to save his son. What an incredible battle he and Zod would have, possibly on New Krypton in Earth's orbit. And then a weakened Superman taking on Brainiac who was behind the scenes the whole time, manipulating everything. That would be cool! Because, honestly, where are they going with the whole Superboy thing? I'm sure there are things they could do but this would be seriously EMOTIONAL. It would be deep. I'm sure that there are people that would balk at the kid dying...but I think it would be slick. I'd love to see an enraged Superman.

I did have two complaints about the movie and they are pure geek level, I mean like, 9.7 on the Geek Richter Scale. One was about the title sequence. Oh, visually, I loved it. A complete throwback to the original movie with great effects mimicing what was done before. I was really looking forward to the title sequence. But why have an edited John Williams score? It sounded chopped up and badly edited. Superman is one of the few themes that a lot of people can hum along with and it is really jarring when it's out of sequence. Couldn't they just use it exactly as it was on the John Ottman Superman Returns soundtrack cd? Again, this is pure geek but that's one thing that bugged me. I guess 'cause I was looking forward to the title sequence. The effects were tight, though.

The second is a costume issue and no, it's not the size of the "S" shield or the fact that it was three-dimensional. I really liked the 3D look of it and the size was fine. Anything bigger would be a bit much, I think. I would be interested in seeing it larger though, just to check it out. I could be completely wrong. But it didn't bother me. No, what got me is that they got rid of my favorite aspect of Superman's costume. The low hanging cape and wide neck of the top. See how they have the neck tight and the cape coming right out of the neck? See, I don't like that. Superman's shirt should start right below the clavicle; A really wide neck. And the cape shouldn't be tucked in at the neck it should be attached mostly at the trapezius.I put two pieces by Ed McGuiness in to show what I mean. Why did they feel the need to go away from that?

I don't know, that just bugged me. I know, I know, big, CRAZY geek complaints...lol..

Well, to add to my footbal rant from yesterday I must speak on my intense dislike of the ESPN Monday night team of Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser. I can't stand Mike Tirico. Can't stand him. He always sounds like he is being WAY too dramatic and learned. I hate that. Nothing seems natural to me. It all sounds forced and canned. And he is actually BETTER now...when I heard him before he really grated on my nerves. Then, there is Joe Theismann. Jesus. He has gone from being a player that I hated to being an analyst that I hate. Even Michael Irvin turned the corner for me but not Joe..he is as annoying as ever. So arrogant and such a know-it-all. And if he's wrong he either a) will not cop to it or b) will blame someone else. Al Michaels didn't go to NBC to work with John Madden, he went to get the hell away from Joe Theismann. I guarantee that...

Now that leaves Tony Kornheiser. I like Tony Kornheiser. He's funny and gives you different insights than these jokers. I wish he worked with two other people. But he's stuck in the worst booth going. I think he and Joe Theismann won't be speaking by seasons end....

It's funny because the second game last night(a Monday Night Football doubleheader??? That's weird!!!) had Brad Nessler, who I never heard call a football game, Dick Vermeil, who I haven't seen in a booth in awhile and that was college and Ron Jaworski, who I don't recall in a booth at all. And I liked them! They stepped on each other a few times but that's to be expected. And Jaws and Dick Vermeil see EVERYTHING going on out there. You know they know their stuff. And Dick Vermeil is funny! If he cried during the game the broadcast would've been complete. Why can't we have these guys as the lead broadcasters? If they took a poll on ESPN I bet they would win. I know, I know, they would never do that... I can dream though, can't I?

There are so many coincidences...so many that you start thinking somebody is sitting around writing your life for you. But they are little things, stuff you just kinda go "That's interesting.." and forget about. Like the other day. I was reading the great Bill Simmons at ESPN.com.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/simmons/index

If you even remotely care for sports, ya gotta read this guy. He always makes me laugh. Always. And he has a free and easy writing style that makes it sound like you're just sitting there talking to him. Very funny. He always makes movie references and Thursday he made a Silence of the Lambs one that was great. Not too obvious and not too vague. He was answering a question from a reader about football bye days and he said "This is the same league where a coach can't get a referee's attention to challenge a touchdown unless he sprints onto the field and whips the red flag at him like Miggs flinging his body fluids at Clarice Starling's face."

Funny. I laughed and then starting thinking about how they re-edited that scene on TV so you can hardly tell what's going on. My co-worker Joey and I always complain about that. Then I forgot about it.

So Friday night I am kinda watching Stargate SG-1 which I really don't like that much but Ben Browder and Claudia Black from the great and cancelled Farscape are on there now. Which is kinda frustrating but I watch it anyway. Plus it's always interesting to see what Claudia is wearing. ANYWAY, she gets kidnapped and she's being brain probed by these bad guys (that didn't sound right at all) and the SG teams have a lead on a warehouse she may be in but there 5 warehouses. Ok. So the main SG team is outside one and they blow the door and one of the bad guys goes "What was that? Turn that down!" Apparently he can't hear well over the roaring din of the brain probe. And it also has a volume control knob, which comes in handy. And I'm sitting there saying "I know what they are gonna do. They're ripping off Silence of the Lambs where Jonathan Demme makes you think that Scott Glenn and the feds are about to bust in on the skin dude and Clarice is at the wrong house. But it turns out poor Clarice stumbles right into the nut and Scott Glenn is at a empty house" And sure enough the SG-1 team breaks in and it's an empty warehouse. And Claudia Black is being rescued by a different team...that botches the whole thing anyway. Oh! You got me! So I'm like, oh brother and I start thumbing around the channels and Silence of the Lambs is on Lifetime. And it's the exact scene that Bill Simmons refered to! I mean, two seconds after I turn there Miggs gets Clarice in the face. And that just bugged me the hell out. I was like "Ok...that was strange." But that happens all the time. To everyone...So. Are we in the Matrix? I hope not cause I know I look stupid bald.

SUNDAY ON THE BRINK

Speaking of football, as I was doing earlier, I had the misfortune of watching some of the different pregame and halftime shows and I think I'm done. I can't watch these things anymore. Fox used to make me laugh but then James Brown left, which I knew, and went to CBS, which I didn't know until I saw the halftime show. So Fox was a mess. Curt Menafee was trying to host and it was like watching an unmarried woman with no kids taking care of 3 unruly 10-year olds. What a mess. Later on Joe Buck, who I like, was hosting, and he was funny but Terry Bradshaw stumbled thru the highlights like he just took some Ambien or something. It was just terrible. And CBS..oh boy. They have the worst show anyway amd JB couldn't save it. They should just have 4 corpses on the set and show highlights. It would be just as informative. But the icing of it all, the grand masterwork of the evening was NBC. Oh. My. God. Wow. That was like watching yourself have surgery. With no anesthesia. That was excruciating. If you weren't looking at the screen the John Williams theme would make you think that Indiana Jones was hanging from the front of a truck or something. The graphics were all over the map and incorrect and Sterling Sharpe speaks as if he woke up one morning and said " You know what? I'm gonna create a game called....football!". Man, it was terrible. Bob Costas looked like he'd rather be calling a St. Loius Cardinals game. Chris Collinsworth was just ok,I guess and I'll cut The Bus some slack but overall it was pretty bad. NBC ruined my Sunday night. I used to watch ESPN and have Boomer and TJ wrap up my day but no more...ESPN moved the show...bastards. I think I'll have to treat Pre-game and Post-game like I treat the two weeks before the Super Bowl. I don't pay attention to ANYTHING about it, no hype, no nothing, until I turn on the TV at about 6:18, right before kickoff. There's just too many people yelling at me, too many guys trying to be funny, too many fake arguments, too many "experts", too many knuckleheads and their knuckleheaded opinions. I used to like Sunday...

Well....it's football season again. As I get older it gets harder to transition from sport to sport as the seasons change.Plus I am really enjoying watching the Mets so it's twice as hard.But I watched the Jets yesterday and was quickly reminded why, of all sports teams, the Jets are the one that makes me the craziest. I've often told people that the closest I've come to insanity was watching a Jets game. I'm serious. About 11 or 12 years ago on Monday Night Football the Jets blew a lead to the Chicago Bears and allowed the game tying touchdown with NO TIME LEFT ON THE CLOCK. No time! And then they commited about 50 holding and false start penalties and lost in OT. I remember my ex-girlfriend Natalie sitting in a corner and staring at me as I screamed and lost my mind. I must have been frothing. I still can't believe they lost that game. There was also a game when Joe Walton was coaching when they lost to the Bills in what is probably the dumbest football game I've ever seen. And of course, there's the entire Rich Kotite season which was kinda like watching the Titanic sink every Sunday. And then, there's the playoffs. All old Jets fans cringe when the hear the name A J Duhe. And they had a lead in Denver in the AFC Championship a few years back at halftime. I admit, though, that was my fault. I broke a major rule that my buddy André and I have. I called at the half, I must've been giddy and stupid and I said "We gonna go to the Super-Bowl, man!" And André said " What are you crazy?!? You know we're not supposed to call each other during the game!". And he hung up on me. And the Jets lost. Damn. I carry the burden of that loss with me. And the year before last...well, anyway, you get me. So here I am watching yesterdays game and there are a few missed fiel goals and a missed extra point and I'm sitting there knowing, KNOWING, that a 16-0 means nothing. And sure enough the Titans come back score two touchdowns AND two 2 point conversions and TIE THE GAME. OH MY GOD. I thought the top of my head would pop off. But then something crazy happened. The Jets scored again and held on and won. Wow. That was nice. I felt so much better. And my son didn't have to see daddy run full speed into a wall.

And it was really nice to see Chad Pennigton back. I like him a lot and I think he's a good team leader. The team respects him and likes him and that's a hard thing to have sometimes. And he looked good too. I know it's gonna be a long, hard season and I know the Jets face a serious uphill climb to be in the league's elite but it was nice to survive this first taste of insanity.