Stockton!

Oh, the difference those 'worth 8 points' shutouts can make.

The latest from the playoff hockey pool....the Stockton takes the lead, followed closely by the Callaghan. I just want to stay ahead of the Farrell.

1 Brian Stockton 108
2 John Callaghan 107
3 Jeff Martel 102
4 Laurie Nyveen 99
5 Juniper 97
6 Scotty William 96
7 Michael Foster 95
7 Will Pascoe 95
9 Denis McGrath 94
10 Mark Askwith 87
11 Peter Allen Rowley 84
12 Larry Raskin 82
13 Will Dixon 80
14 Mark Farrell 76
15 Wil Zmak 69
16 Robert de Lint 57
17 Jim Henshaw 51


For those who care, access the standings HERE... login: 73076 password: stanley

No Mold On This Du(de)

Bob Mould...former frontman of Husker Du, Sugar, and solo artist extraordinaire --- a pioneer of the American power punk pop movement...a master of the noise/melody blend.

"My only mistake was taking you back again and again..."



'District Line'...his latest effort, released in February...





"Everything I say to you sounds stupid now..."

Painfully poignant yet pure toe-tapping pleasure...best cd of the year so far, by far.

I love it when musical heroes deliver.

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Stuck In The Middle With Who?

I know most of you don't care about the current round of CRTC hearings with the BDU's and Broadcasters, but Denis at Dead Things and Jimmy at The Legion offer up two very well thought out arguments of support (sort of) for both sides of this rather ugly BDU/Broadcaster fence. Read these guys...they are smart.

But unfortunately, in both of their perspectives, the Canadian creatives and our indigenous production community seem either negligible, or are forced to have to pick a team. Neither option is particularly pretty. And it points a really huge finger at how so many of us in the Canadian film/TV industry are middlemen...from the BDU/Broadcaster CEO's right down to the small independent producer.

I'm really torn about which side of the crevasse I should be on. I'm presently employed by a broadcaster in the development department, while also working as a freelancer with the creative community story editing projects in varying stages of development and prep. And both jobs need the support of the BDU's (cable and satellite providers) to distribute this content once created. Grrrr....I don't want to have to pick a team! Especially since 'the team' is looking more and more like some new model that isn't even in existence yet, but will eventually arise as the old TV viewing model continues to erode and crumble.

But until that day, or till the CRTC and the regulators make some drastic changes to the system, it's always going to be about being caught in the middle...ugh.

Friday Fun...when worlds collide...how apropos...



Because it (sadly) makes me smile (sadly)...
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Well I Suck...

...as Washington lets me down in a big way....the Capitals I mean.

Tight race in the playoff hockey pool after the first round, with Toronto-based Mr. Music John Callaghan leading the way with his stockpile of Habs...but the Prairies holding their own thus far, with Martel, Stockton, and Juniper right on his heels.


1 John Callaghan 84
2 Jeff Martel 81
2 Brian Stockton 81
2 Juniper 81
5 Scotty William 80
6 Laurie Nyveen 76
6 Will Pascoe 76
8 Michael Foster 73
9 Will Dixon 69
9 Peter Allen Rowley 69
11 Denis McGrath 68
12 Larry Raskin 67
13 Mark Askwith 65
14 Mark Farrell 61
15 Wil Zmak 52
16 Robert de Lint 45
17 Jim Henshaw 44


McGrath fell back down to earth, and at least Farrell's not in the basement. And speaking of the basement, after the passing of his brother no mocking the Henshaw this week...let's all send some love his way...

Game on.

Pool Update & Heavy Metal Boobies

Jim has a Blogger's & Writer's Hockey Pool Update at his place...and Friday Fun has to be Kenny tripping on cat urine to the strains of 'Takin' A Ride' (a la Heavy Metal)...



Because it makes me smile...

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Listen To The Monkey

As I plink away as dancing story editor/script monkey on a feature flick...John Rogers of the Kung Fu Monkey tells it like it is so good in these posts about working in the story department on a TV series... HERE, and then HERE AGAIN.

And meanwhile, Stephen Colbert wants to tongue the crack of Lady Liberty....too funny.

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Hockey Pool Update

Okay...after much accusation of conspiracy and pool rigging, the stats access is open for business. Seems the login numbers were mixed up...uh huh. Note the change, and you'll now be able to access the standings HERE... login: 73076 password: stanley


And after the first few games of each series, here's where everyone stands:

1 Denis McGrath 36
2 Laurie Nyveen 32
2 Jeff Martel 32
4 Peter Allen Rowley 31
4 John Callaghan 31
4 Wil Zmak 31
7 Juniper 30
7 Will Pascoe 30
9 Michael Foster 29
9 Will Dixon 29
9 Scotty William 29
12 Brian Stockton 28
12 Larry Raskin 28
14 Mark Askwith 24
15 Mark Farrell 23
16 Robert de Lint 22
17 Jim Henshaw 14


Little disappointed in the turn out, but thanks to all those that entered. And it's early yet, but I hear McGrath is already buying a celebratory cigar...and Henshaw - you like the basement don't you, sheesh...and where's the Cunningham??

Game on!

Scores And Fores (Redux)

NOTE: Login number changed! Should work now...


It's turning into sports week here at Uninflected. Our hockey playoff pool doors have closed, but Henshaw is still inputting all the entrants and their picks. Once that's done, you'll be able to access the standings HERE... login: 73076 password: stanley

Go Caps and Sharks!

And today marks the start of professional golf's diamond in the rough, The Masters. Mmmmm....daddy likey...even though CBS.com isn't allowing access to online viewers outside the United States to watch morning coverage of Amen's Corner...argghhh!

Don't Walk....Don't Run....Skate!

Okay peeps....just a couple hours left until the deadline for your entries into the 2nd Annual Infamous Writers (& Bloggers) Hockey Playoff Pool...let's try and get a few more of you into the game.

I'm going to make it real simple for the Alex Epsteins out there...here are teams and the matchups:

EAST

#1 Montreal vs. #8 Boston
#2 Pittsburgh vs. #7 Ottawa
#3 Washington vs. #6 Philadelphia
#4 New Jersey vs. #5 New York Rangers

WEST

#1 Detroit vs. #8 Nashville
#2 San Jose vs. #7 Calgary
#3 Minnesota vs. #6 Colorado
#4 Anaheim vs. #5 Dallas


Pick three or four teams you see going to the semi finals....go to nhl.com...and pick the top scorers from each of those teams to make up your 10 skaters. Then pick a goalie from the two teams you think will make the final and make those your 2 goaltender picks. Easy!

Then send Legion of Decency's Jim Henshaw an email at seraphic@sympatico.ca with "POOL PICKS" in the subject line before 6:00 PM EST (or thereabouts) tonight.


C'mon Alex...you can pick 10 Habs if you want! It's just for fun...

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Okay, Everyone Into The Pool!

Are you ready for some hockey...poolies?

Jim Henshaw at Legion of Decency has done all the heavy lifting again and today put out the call for entrants for the 2nd Annual Infamous Writers (& Bloggers) Playoff Pool.

Go get all the details HERE...but I'll lay out some of the highlights:

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS

You join "The Infamous Writer's Hockey Pool" by sending Henshaw an email at seraphic@sympatico.ca with "POOL PICKS" in the subject line before 6:00 PM EST Wednesday night (April 09/08).

In your email, list the 10 skaters and 2 Goalies who make up your team. They can be members of any of the 16 teams competing in the opening round. The scoring is as follows: For every goal or assist scored by your skater you earn 1 point. Every time your goalie wins you also earn a point and seven points each time he earns a shutout.

The 12 players you choose are yours for the entire tournament. As the teams your players represent fall by the wayside, they cease earning you points, but their totals remain a part of your total. In the end, the poolie with the most points wins.

Jim will post your team online. From then on, you can check your progress by going HERE. All players will be provided with a password so they can check their progress throughout the playoffs. Once you're inside the pool site, you'll see all the information on the poolies and their teams. You'll also receive a twice weekly email update of the pool standings, which either Jim or I will post for all the world to see on our blogs.

And what do you win? Well, since gambling is technically illegal, and the entrants are going to come from a lot of disparate currencies, we've decided that your entrance fee must be something either related to your career or a sports souvenir you've gathered along the way. Once the winner is decided, all entrants must ship he or she a DVD of a film they made, an autographed script, their Bobby Orr lunchbox or even that old Honus Wagner baseball card that's just gathering dust in grandpa's desk.

Fast! Easy! Fun!

So there you go, nothing to it...though I've already spoke with a couple of people this past week bemoaning the fact they don't know hockey or it sounds too complicated, but c'mon peeps...Mark Farrell (Corner Gas, This Hour Has 22 Minutes) knows hockey and still finished in the basement last year. And hell, we all know how hard it is to navigate the Canuck TV/film financing system...comparatively speaking, this is nothing!

And just so we're clear...it's open to anyone, writers and readers alike.

Pick some players...email them to Jim...and may the best writer/blogger win!

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You Know You're Getting Older When...

...they start asking you to present the awards at a festival, instead of you receiving them.

But did my duty and wearing the Super Channel hat delivered last night at the 2008 Saskatchewan Showcase Awards... first time I've ever given out a trophy to anyone I believe...it was kewl.

Congrats to the team behind the Andrea Menard songfest The Velvet Devil which pretty much swept the evening. And as much as I am uncomfortable speaking in front of large groups of people, managed to kibitz with the original guitar hero/ Guitarman Jack Semple. Got some laughs. Bonus. And it was great to see a lot of old familiar faces again, plus some of the new up and comers. And though I've had my issues with Showcase in the past...bygones...I kept my remarks short and sweet...didn't start ranting and pull a Cartman at least...



Because he makes me smile...

More Touching?

I know this is old news but still thinking about whether or not to be excited about the talk of an Arrested Development movie.



I can't think of a TV series that has given me more pleasure and enjoyment with repeated viewings on DVD than Arrested Development. Smart, clever, fast, funny...like, really funny...but it's the multiple layers and subtle laughs discovered when viewing again (and again) that makes it stand out so much. Fantastic writing, a perfect cast, a unique presentation...AD gets an A+ in my books.

But do we need a movie? The show was never really a big hit, so it isn't like it would be made to cash in and run. And unlike say, South Park, which has had some really brilliantly funny episodes which be expanded into a self contained feature story, AD was soft funny...character beats and 'moments that built on themselves and then grew hilarious over time' funny...not self contained 'boy was that one ep funny and it could have been a movie' funny.

TV series comedies and movie comedies are sooooo different. It's character vs. concept. And as much as I love the notion of seeing more Michael and Poppop and George Michael and Buster and Gob, I'd want to see more series...not one movie. Let it live forever in our minds and memories as a what was and might have been, instead of 'ending' in what couldn't help but be a letdown and disappointment.

Damn The Torpedoes!

After much deliberation, I've decided to post every day from now until the end of the year, and hold nothing back. That's right, throw caution to the wind...spooge....spill...tell all, man...from under the rocks of TV production to behind the doors of TV networks, divulge every little dirty secret about this industry that I know...

Oh right, Henshaw's already all over that one.


In the meantime I will resume my fav working position whilst directing...on the floor...making my little notes in the margins of the sides...all the while wondering: who shall I tell on first? (Jay, get out of my light!)

BTW Happy April Fool's Day! (McGrath, you can stop sweating...)

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