"The Ambassador of Funk."

Happy?

Just Adventure just posted an interview with me. It's not very revealing, and I'm being Funny (which is always, always irritating), but it's got a few choice nuggets of information...if you dig deep and read between the lines. I was supposed to do this interview a couple of weeks ago, but since I knew what was happening, I put it off until it coincided with the press release. And Just Adventure ends up with a juicy exclusive. We're not going to do any interviews in the near future (I think), nor are we releasing much information about the second Journey - or our new, top-secret online world - until the time is right, and the stars have aligned.

By the way, notice how the press release mentions "a sequel to The Longest Journey". I just want to point out that, technically speaking, it's not a sequel: it's part two of the TLJ saga. A 'sequel' implies no planning or forethought; a 'product' produced to cash in on the success of the original; a pale copy. When someone says "sequel", I think "Men in Black II, Lethal Weapon 4, Halloween...Infinity". The next game in the TLJ series will be sooo much more than that, so much more than a mere sequel. It will trigger a revolution. It will change the world. Oh yeah.

Also, it will be a damn fine game. But, hey, isn't that a given?

The bad thing about all this is that I've pretty much ruined any possibility of a social life for the next few years. What with TLJ and...other stuff...and my personal projects, I'm as swamped as a thing that lives in a swamp and has lots and lots to do.

Talking about personal projects; I just submitted the loglines and pitches for "Seven Rules", "In the Dark Places", and "Flipside" - three scripts that I'm spending my evenings, nights, and weekends working on - to something called the Screenplay Bank. It's a service open only to alumni from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts (like myself) to get scripts listed and sent to agents, production companies, producers, studios...you name it. I'm trying to get an agent - maybe even a script sale - but I'll settle for getting read. Fingers crossed and all that.

Right, then. Bed. And, by the way, thanks for all the e-mails! I appreciate it. Good to know that TLJ still has a following! Ooh, on that note, before I forget, check out one of the best TLJ sites out there. Hopefully, they'll stay with us through the development on the "sequel to TLJ", and help build the community: The Divide. They're worth a read any time of the day. Or night.  ¶ 23:24   

  "You'll love this one."

Don't say I never keep my promises. 'Tomorrow' has become 'today'. Check it out (clipped from www.longestjourney.com):

The Journey Continues

We're extremely happy to announce that hell has indeed frozen over, and that preproduction has finally begun on the second chapter in The Longest Journey saga!

The game continues the celebrated story that began with the award-winning and critically acclaimed PC adventure, and takes the players on an even more amazing journey through the twin worlds of Stark and Arcadia... and beyond. Familiar faces and places join exciting new characters and locations, with more than a few twists and surprises along the way.

Key members of the original team return for part two, and their goal is to make a truly next generation adventure to thrill and fascinate both fans of the original title and new players. Funcom currently intends to make the game for the PC as well as consoles.

The decision to continue the saga was finally made after listening to the demands of fans and media, who have been calling for a follow-up since The Longest Journey was released in 1999/2000.

More details - including visual concepts and production art - will be made available in the months to come, so keep watching this space!  ¶ 16:59   

  "Opportunity, present thyself."

(That quote's all mine.)

Watching the BAFTAs right now - yes, I'm quite aware that the awards were handed out a few days ago, but it's still fun to watch, if only to see Stephen Fry crack jokes. He cracks great jokes. Dry, wry, British jokes.

But on with tonight's topic, which is 'Opportunity'.

It's quite weird with opportunities. Most of the time, there are few. And then, suddenly - lots and lots of them all over the place, and you have to make a choice, when what you really want to do is go with all of them.

It's a season of choices for me.

(Meryl Steep just read Charlie Kaufman's acceptance speech for the Best Adapted Screenplay award, and it was hilarious. Typical Kaufman stuff, and Streep was the perfect foil for his jokey setup. Excellent, non-scripted, funny, funny stuff.)

Where were we? Oh, yes; opportunities.

It can be a bit overwhelming with opportunities, because you're not sure which road to take. Every road terminates in a different place, and it's impossible to know where you're meant to be. Although I guess there's never really any 'meant to be'. There's only one road - the one you take.

Right. Enough with the boring philosophising. I will now proceed to tease you with one word that's sure to make a lot of people happy (although you won't know why yet):

Tomorrow.  ¶ 22:04   

  "It's your energy, your attitude, you know, the way you carry yourself."

I'm so full of creative energy today, I don't know how to properly direct it. Yesterday, too, was amazingly productive. I don't know what's happening to me. It's very worrying.

Been in meetings all day yesterday and today, and that might have something to do with it. Lots of time to doodle and write down ideas while listening to other people speak. (And I do listen. I'm not one of those people who...don't. I just multitask extremely well.) So I've got pages up and pages down on the different projects I'm working on, and now it's "simply" a question of priorities, and getting things done. That's the hardest part, of course.

Listening to Emiliana Torrini, and trying to decide where to direct my energy, what to work on tonight.

There will also be some (hopefully) interesting news later this week - knock on wood - so check back tomorrow, or Thursday...or Friday. You won't get it here first, but I'll be sure to point you in the right direction. It's definitely got something to do with projects that I'm working on, so...yup. Really exciting stuff.  ¶ 18:51   

  "That was old-school."

Yes, my headlines are, invariably, quotes. A few - very few - are my own. I don't normally quote myself. It's sort of...superfluous, and more than a little self-absorbed.

The above quote is from an Aaron Sorkin-scripted episode of The West Wing. It made me laugh out loud. The man's a genius. He can write.

Made solid progress on "Seven Rules" tonight; a screenplay loosely based on a short short-story you can read on this site, called "Rules are Rules". I started working on "Rules" (the script) to take my mind off "In the Dark Places" for a few days - it seemed like an easy enough distraction, and then it just snowballed and became this big thing...which is good. Although I should really wrap up the one before putting too much work into the other. "Rules" is a lot easier than "Dark Places", though. No symbolism, less research, an uncomplicated plot, simpler characters, clearer goals...it's just a heck of a lot easier to put down on paper. It's not necessarily a better script, or a better story, but it flows better. I'm certainly happy to have another script in the pipeline, but I do wish "Dark Places" would just finish itself off nicely, so I could move on with a clear conscience.

Ugh. Writing is hard.  ¶ 23:15   

  "The fog is rising."

Yes, I did get a lot of work done today.

And no, I didn't have time to post anything. Obviously.

Surprised? You shouldn't be. I'm with promises like guys are with virginity. (You figure that one out.)

I don't like to break my promises, just so y'all know - but when it's a question of priorities, I prioritise. And when I'm on a roll, like I was this afternoon, I keep going, and I don't look back.

The script I'm working on - "In the Dark Places" - is turning out nicely. The last few weeks I've ironed out some major story problems, and I think it's finally where it should be. It's tight, focused, and (hopefully) atmospheric, frightening, and entertaining - but there's still work to be done, of course. The script itself isn't finished. I have the story, I know the characters, the notes are written...now it's simply a question of putting all the pieces together. "Simply" (knock on wood) isn't always that, but it's a fair bit easier to write something when you know exactly where you're going every step of the way. It's the making-stuff-up-that-makes-sense part that often takes a lot of time. Endings, especially, are hard. Beginning are easy. I don't know exactly what happens in the end, but I have a couple of alternatives. We'll see which one fits the best. When will it be done-done? In a few weeks. I have a deadline this Friday, but that's all right. I can tell the story, and the script itself can follow.

Well. I wasn't planning on a big post. The plan was to write a message about AO-Basher going AWOL (at least partly), but that'll have to wait until tomor- uh, another day. Suffice it to say, those guys over there have done an excellent job, and I'm sorry to see 'em go. I haven't been involved with Anarchy Online for a good while now, but I still drop by Basher once in a while to see what's what - rarer and rarer as time has passed, but it was still sad to see the goodbye posts. Well. More on that...another day.

Meanwhile, in Ragnar's apartment - the lights are going off. The bed beckons. It's cold and empty, but hey! Sleep. It's what dreams are made of.  ¶ 23:17   

  "What it is."

It's too late and I'm too tired to start on that promised post today - I have a few things I'd like to mention, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow. My fingers will be glued to the keyboard most of the day anyway, so it'll be easy to hop on over and post.

I have a deadline at the end of the week, when a screenplay has to be (mostly) done. Enough 'done' to allow me to write a solid logline and, if need be, do a "pitch". In other words, the story and characters need to be solid. Everything else - the actual words - I can work on a bit longer. But Friday...yup. Set in stone. Sure wish I could take a couple of days off work, but no can do. Next week = busy.

So. There it is. Back tomorrow, then. Right-ho.  ¶ 00:51   

  "A weed is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."

I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night, and so the day appears dreamlike and slightly out of focus. I think it's still cold, but I haven't checked. It's certainly icy, and there's a fine sheen of water on top of the ice, just to make things worse.

Thursday, I saw Adaptation - the final film shown in the festival I've been attending. Written and directed by the team behind Being John Malkovich, it's a movie about writing, about the process of adapting - one form of fiction into another, and yourself into...someone else - about life. But mostly about writing, which made it a very interesting movie for me. If you're a cop or a fireman, you probably love watching movies about cops or firemen. If you're a writer, then, movies about writers are doubly interesting, especially since movies about writers are invariably written by writers...and they often know what they're talking about when it comes to fellow writers, but not so much when it comes to cops or firemen. Besides, the film was hilariously funny, surprisingly sad, and very, very good. I've seen too many good movies the past week. They're beginning to blend into each other. Much like Jonze and Kaufman blend reality in their films (nice segway, huh?).

Noon. I've got to get a move on. I plan to write a few words later today, so check back tonight or tomorrow morning if you're interested.  ¶ 12:01   

  "It's easier to be alone than to be with someone new."

My apartment is freezing.

Electricity prices in Norway are skyrocketing, and it's almost prohibitively expensive to keep your home warm. Keep in mind, Norway is, supposedly, the best country in the world to live in. The best. And also the coldest. I live in the richest and most prosperous nation of them all, and I can't afford staying warm.

Saw Solaris tonight - the Steven Soderbergh version - and I loved it. It was slow and meditative, poetic and moving, and meaningful. (In a good, non-pretentious way.) It made me think. Grand ideas are admirable in a modern studio picture, and there's much to admire about Solaris - both visually, acting-wise (George Clooney is less George Clooney-y than ever), and thematically. If you like movies that challenge you, this is one to watch.

And just to cap off the evening, when I got home, Singles was on TV. I probably haven't seen that since 1993. Cameron Crowe's never made a bad movie, and it's a sweet and funny flick. The perfect companion piece to Solaris - something easily digestible and light.

Right. Lots of talk about movies lately. And no wonder: I've been to the cinema six times in five days, and tomorrow I'm seeing Adaptation. Really looking forward to that. Really really.

But after that, promise, less talk about movies, more talk about...life. Love. Dreidels. And kippers.  ¶ 23:03   

  "Lessons"

Sometimes in life, you've got to take chances. The thing about chances is, once you start taking them, they usually pay off in some way or another. Failing is an option, and it doesn't necessarily have to be a bad one. Every experience counts, and it's better to try and fail than to never try at all.

Why am I talking about this?

Because I just failed to take a chance that I should have taken, and I'm feeling very, very stupid.

I don't normally shy away from chances. I have no problem taking a chance on something. (Unless failure means I get crushed or mangled or broken, and I wind up dead, which definitely rules out sky-diving.) So when I fail to take a chance with something that wouldn't have killed me if I'd fallen flat on my face, some silly thing that might have ended up changing my life (or, if nothing else, changed my day for the better), then, well, that's a real waste. I feel stupid. And a little bit angry with myself.

Life should have a rewind button. It wouldn't need to work more than five or ten minutes, enough for your mind to go "oh, wait!", and to realise that, yup, you should have jumped at the opportunity, taken a chance, never mind if you fail or succeed. To try is sometimes enough. And, more often than not, trying pays off.

Oh, well. Spilt milk and all that. It was a thing, and now it's passed. What was it? Not gonna say. Hey - you think I'd put my private life in a public journal? Pft. Okay, so I probably would, but not everything. Not most of it. Some of it. The edited bits. Just the bits I want you to know about.

I just saw Auto Focus...and that was a hard movie to watch. It was good. I think. Something that has the power to make you feel that bad must be good. It was both funny and utterly, utterly depressing. The final fifteen to twenty minutes were almost unbearable. I squirmed in my seat. But afterwards - watching something that dark, afterwards you feel better about yourself. You don't feel so bad about your own life anymore. You feel like there's a big gulf between your life and lives that no longer contain anything of value, any good, any shred of real happiness. And that, I guess, is one reason to see the movie. It puts things into perspective.

One last thing. Do me a favour. If, today or tomorrow or next week, you suddenly have a chance, an opportunity, to do something that you wouldn't normally do, or something that you don't know if you'll be able to pull off, or something that frightens you a tiny bit - do it. Keep me in mind, and just do it. Don't think about it. Jump into it. (Not literally; no sky-diving, please.) Go for it. No regrets, no worries. If you fail...so what? You'll know that you tried, and that will make you feel great. And if you succeed - well, hey, remember who told you to do it!

Good luck.  ¶ 21:17   

  "I had a good quote, but I lost it in a game of poker."

I'm getting more and more scatterbrained. Just three and a half minutes ago, I remembered that I was supposed to send off an interview to Just Adventure. And that memory triggered memories of other interviews that I never got around to, e-mails and questions that have simply scrolled out the top of my inbox. It's one thing being busy. It's quite another to never get anything done on time. (Or budget.) My sincerest apologies to all my victims - past, current, and future. I really do try. And I'll definitely send that interview off tomorrow. Promise.

That wasn't what I was going to write about, actually, but now I don't remember what I was going to write about, so I'll do what I usually do: Write about a) TV; b) Movies; or c) Games.

I pick...a).

Fantastic episode of The West Wing this evening. Fantastic. The show is always great, often brilliant, and never, ever dull - or bad - but tonight's episode was quite fantastic. Eminently quotable, smart, thought-provoking, funny (always funny, in a smart way), and surprisingly sweet.

I gush. I'm allowed to. I'm a writer. (Or at least I try to be.) Most of the stuff on TV makes me go, "eh, big deal, I could probably have written that". With The West Wing I always go, "my God, if only I could write half as well as that!". Maybe you have to be a writer to fully appreciate it, but I don't think so. The dialogue sings. You can hear it. It resonates. It flows like a river...and not one of those slow, dull rivers with lots of leaves in it, and dark, muddy water. It's so alive, so textured, so complex, and yet so...so flowing. It's not real. People don't talk like that. No one's that smart. No one can say all those brilliant things so quickly. But who cares? Dialogue - on TV, at the theatre, in the movies - isn't supposed to sound like real conversation. It's supposed to enchant you, intrigue you, entice you, draw you in, make you laugh, cry, scream - make you feel as though the people are real, and not necessarily what they say.

Good dialogue is beyond real. It's how people should speak...in a perfect world of perfect drama.

Oh, and I also saw the latest Buffy episode tonight, and I would be gushing about that one too, if only I wasn't so tired and hadn't already gushed about The West Wing. Oh, what the hell. Tonight's episode - seven-dot-fourteen - was one of the best ones so far this season. It had it all: Romance, action, the funnies...Spike. Evil. Beauties. More funnies. More Xander - yay! Finally. Less of the potential Slayers (too much of them lately). Did I mention evil? And it was all good. Brilliant, not like The West Wing brilliant, but just as brilliant in another way, just as well written... And yes, those two shows are my favourite shows on TV. And no, I don't watch that much TV. I just pick my shows well, and gush about them.  ¶ 23:29   

  "My God...it's full of stars!"

Apple.com has just posted the first League of Extraordinary Gentlemen trailer - and it's very disappointing. The movie is based, loosely, on Alan Moore's excellent graphic novel, but with a completely different story, and several new (Tom Sawyer, Dorian Gray) and altered (Mina Harker is quite obviously a full-fledged vampire in the movie) characters. None of the changes appear to be for the better, and what's up with that car?

I'd hoped Hollywood had learned their lessons from the success of good comic-book adaptations like X-Men, Spider-Man, and Daredevil; that the audience is appreciative (and, most importantly, pays up) when the filmmakers stay true to the source, and that there's a good reason why the books were successful in the first place: That they had good stories and characters. 'LXG' (a horrible acronym) seems to be heading in the complete opposite direction, and Alan Moore is again screwed with a bad movie adaptation of a brilliant comic (case in point: From Hell). Still, I'll remain cautiously optimistic until the reviews start coming in. The trailer may be horribly cut, but the movie might still be good.

By the way, check out these promotional stills from Van Helsing - a movie I'm really looking forward to. I love the mood and tone of these images, and I hope the movie follows through on that mood. I love the classic movie monsters, and if Stephen Sommers can deliver without going outrageously camp (like he did with the Mummy movies), I think we're in for a real treat.  ¶ 12:54   

  "I choose life."

These past two days, I've spent many hours in a dark place. No, it's not winter depression, nor have I been confined to, uh, solitary confinement in state prison. I've sat in a darkened theatre and watched a bunch of movies (well, four) at the "annual" (this is only the second year) Filmport, a not-quite-film-festival here in Oslo. Three in a row last night - from six thirty until one thirty; a real marathon - and one tonight. Movies that aren't exactly brand, spanking new, but which haven't yet opened in Norway, and, consequently, movies I haven't yet seen. So far I've caught Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Far from Heaven, The Ring, and Catch Me If You Can, and I have tickets to three more next week.

Confessions was quite brilliant, and not only because of Sam Rockwell's pitch-perfect performance - playing real-life TV producer, and unlikely CIA hitman, Chuck Barry - or the both-funny-and-tragic screenplay by Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Human Nature), but also because of George Clooney's direction. Sometimes you could tell it's his first time behind the camera, and sometimes he tries a bit too hard - distracting us from the story and the performances with "smart" camera moves and framing - but it still beats the hell out of most debuts, and the silver-haired one appears to have a great future ahead of him in the director's chair...unless he sticks with the acting.

Far from Heaven was a very different movie, but no less stylised. A melodrama set in, and inspired by, the 1950s, it nevertheless featured subtle performances from all its leads, and managed to be extraordinarily moving - despite the potential trappings of the genre and the era. An exercise in style, but not at the expense of content - quite admirable. Recommended.

I have to admit that I thought the American remake of The Ring matched, and perhaps even surpassed, the Japanese original Ringu...in some areas. I'm sure a lot of you will disagree, but I'd actually rate the two equally. Ringu (and its first sequel) has a stronger sense of menace, and a rougher, more authentic air to it, while The Ring has a tighter story, is more shocking - I jumped in my seat a number of times - and moves quicker. The Ring takes the plots from both Ringu and Ringu 2 and mixes them together into something that's at once original and true to the original, and (I thought) actually quite a bit creepier because of it. An impressive remake which I look forward to seeing again. On DVD. Alone. At night. In the dark.

Finally, Spielberg's latest is probably his best movie in years, from a pure entertainment point-of-view. Catch Me If You Can doesn't have the grand themes or ambitions of A.I. or Minority Report, but it's breezier, lighter, funnier, better paced - simply put, more entertaining. More fun. More easily accessible. And that's in no waya criticism of his last few films, but a compliment to Spielberg's versatility. I loved Catch Me. I loved Tom Hanks', Leonardo DiCaprio's, and Christopher Walken's performances. I loved the look of it. I loved the score. I loved the script. I had great fun for two hours and twenty minutes. And I'm seeing it again, soon. What more could you possibly need? Go see it.  ¶ 01:23   

  "Headlines are for wimps. And also for CNN."

Um...hello.

Four posts in almost two weeks is not good, and I can't blame it all on being busy. Yes, well, I can. But I won't. While I am busy, there are times when I've had the choice between: a) Crashing on the couch and watching TV or playing video games for an hour; or b) Writing an entry in my journal.

I chose 'a'.

Why? Not because I don't love y'all. I do. I love each and every one of you. And although this journal didn't start out as an open window into my life and work, that's what's happened. There's an Audience, and It's Listening. Not a huge one, but a solid and dependable Band of Regular Readers. And because of you guys, I feel I have a responsibility to update this journal on a regular basis, unless I'm travelling, on a deadline, or just dead.

In fact, I've come to really enjoy updating my journal and getting feedback from my readers. So thanks for reading, and thanks for writing.

Tonight's Spanish class night, and I haven't done my homework yet. Every weekend I say to myself, "this weekend, I'm doing my homework", and every Thursday I end up doing the homework at the office an hour before my class starts. This, people, is my life in a nutshell. I'm good at procrastinating.

Here's Daniel:

"I have just bought and played Kingdom Hearts quite alot now and i must say i love it, and i urge you to reconsider and drop every other game you currently are set to play and trow your self at Kingdom Hearts. It IS that good and you´ll love the world, packed with Disney caracters (as well as caracters from squaresofts games, mostly the FF series), and just think of the great fun of playing this adventure (cause it is a huge adventure) along with Donald and Goofy at your side. And the worlds... Agrabah (or how it´s spelled) with Ali and the Genie... in the ocean with Ariel the mermaid.. Colloseum with Hercules.. halloween town (from nightmare before christmas.. Underland with alice and them nifty cardguards.. the list goes on and you´ll love it i know it.

PS. as the rabbit in "wonderland" would put it: "i´m late, i´m late, i have to play the game, oh, i´m late" DS."

I agree - it's a fun game - but I just haven't had the time nor the energy to play it all that much. And the combat gets sorta repetitive, albeit fast paced and relatively easy. But I do love Donald and Goofy, and being able to jump into tons of Disney-worlds is a dream come true. I will play it more, as soon as I have the time (I haven't played any games for two weeks). The Gummi-ship bits are horrible, though, and every time I have to travel through space, I get irritated. Why-oh-why stick those space-travel-through-rings elements on top of a good, third-person action-adventure? Stupid. Stooopid.  ¶ 16:54   

  "Animal testing is a terrible idea; they get all nervous and give the wrong answers."

Saturday evening. Up late last night, so I'm staying at home today to recover and go to bed (relatively) early. Who knows, I might even do some work. Yeah, I'm crazy. Crazy as a fox.

This past week has been awfully busy, with precious little alone-time - but I'm not complaining. Aside from the fact that there were a few important things I should have done that I didn't get around to, I've been productive. A good little boy, me. Yup. Few opportunities to work on my own projects, however, which is becoming a worrying trend. I have a definite deadline on "The Dark Places" - end of February - and even though I had an important breakthrough last weekend, there's still much work to be done...not the least of which is the actual rewriting of the whole damn script. Since I've now taken up the Spanish again, Tuesday's pretty much the only night when I'm not busy. Plus the weekend, of course. I'll need to use my weekends better.

But hey, I'm sure you didn't stop by to just hear about me! What about you? What's going on? How are you doing? Hello? Can you hear me? Hello!

Huh.  ¶ 18:39   

  "Lose Your Head in Seven Days"

No, not dead. Not yet. In fact, according to The Death Clock, I'll be here until 2044. I've just been very preoccupied this week, and I simply haven't had time to write. In here. I have, of course, been writing elsewhere. I'll get back on the horse this weekend.

Tip of the day: If, like me, you're trying to quit the Cola, don't go for the TaB. TaB is bad (and backwards, it's "BaT", which says everything). TaB has the "full Cola taste - no sugar", but what they neglect to tell you is that it also makes you truly, horribly sick to your stomach. "Full Cola taste - toxic artificial flavouring" - there's a catchphrase for you. Diet sodas = sad joke. Water will have to do, but it's sooo boring. That brand needs a full makeover. "Water - not just for your grandpa! Now with enhanced water flavouring!". Eh.  ¶ 18:04   

  I happened to stop by cnn.com yesterday just when NASA announced that they'd lost contact with the space shuttle Columbia. I immediately switched on the TV, and for the next thirty minutes I watched events as they unfolded. Aside from the terrible loss of life - a tragedy in and of itself - I knew that this would be a serious setback for the whole space program, already under a lot of pressure from the US government. Exploring space, expanding our horizons, costs a lot of money, and not everyone agrees that this is money well spent. I believe it is. I believe that if our eyes are turned upwards and outwards, if we cut short our ambitions to conquer the solar system, to travel to other stars, to other worlds, we will stagnate, and we will - eventually - perish. A long time from now, certainly, but sooner or later this Earth will not be large enough or fertile enough to house the human race. Sooner or later, we must expand. And without the dream of other worlds, the curiosity about what's out there, the wish - the need - to go further and further out...the human race will lose something precious and important.

It's a terrible thing for those seven astronauts to die in such a manner. It would be even worse if their lives - and the lives of every astronaut who's risked his or her life for the greater good of humankind - were wasted, and that we lay to rest the dream of space travel.  ¶ 19:34   

  "It's just me against tha world, baby"

If I was a rapper, I'd probably call myself DJ RagTag MC, and spin records out of my Mama's basement. Yo.

(Gimme a break - I'm a white guy from Norway.)

Just saw 8 Mile, and despite the worst audience I've ever had the displeasure of spending two hours with - an irritating and noisome bunch of just-out-of-diapers teenyboppers - I had a really good time. Eminem did a great job, and the story was classic (talented young man learns to stop wasting his life and start working to achieve his ambitions), but with enough twists to the format to make it interesting. Fine script and direction (by Curtis Hanson, the director of L.A. Confidential and Wonder Boys) made it all work. I have to admit, when I first heard about the project I had my doubts. Eminem...an actor? A semi-autobiographical story? Detroit? Curtis Hanson doing a rap-movie? Thankfully, it's all good. Go see it.

(And no, you certainly don't have to like Eminem and his music to enjoy it...but it helps.)

Snowing now - been snowing all day - and the streets are wet and slippery and white. I'm not planning on going back out there today. It's not chilly, but it's windy and unpleasant. Saturday night it may be; I'm staying put.

Listening to Heather Nova...well, I was. The last track faded out just as I was writing this. I'll have to go put something else on. Probably something more dope, like my man Tupac. Peace out.  ¶ 21:41   

  "Things move faster if you stand still."

I did sound a bit glum in that last posting, and I hope this apparent glumness hasn't been passed on like a bad flu virus, through the nestling, wormish wires of the Internet. I don't think that's physically possible, but hey, you never know. Glumness has a tendency to travel.

I've been meaning to gush a bit about the show Smallville this week, so here we go: Smallville is becoming must-see TV.

I hate the term "must-see TV" - don't even get me started on the why; simply the fact that something is a must makes me feel a little queasy - but Smallville is certainly worth catching if you're not doing anything the night Smallville is broadcast in your corner of the world. (In my apartment it's on at Whenever I Damn Feel Like It, every Whichever Day I Want It To Be On - very convenient).

With episode 12 this season, "Insurgence", they've "turned up the volume to eleven" (gah!), giving us an epic hour that got me all goosebumpy. (And not the bad sort of goosebumps you get when you have the flu, but the good kind, the kind you get when a pretty girl whispers your name, or you see something really, really cool.) This was the Mythos of Clark Kent, Superman, and Lex Luthor the way it's supposed to be, before it all began. They even had the Daily Planet building, and Clark Kent in blue and red (very obvious reference, there) flying through the air...sort of. The only thing missing was a young and perky Lois Lane, though I'm sure we'll get to see that some day soon as well.

Most importantly, Lex appears to have taken a wrong turn and started down the wide path of darkness and destruction. And you believe in this change, this slow transformation from a spoiled son (and reasonably friendly guy) to a potential evil emperor, much worse than his father ever was. You believe in the change, and you believe that he will become what he's destined to become. It's great. It's very, very good drama. I can't wait to see where the show goes next, because they've constantly surprised me with their willingness to affect changes to the world and the characters. Which is more than can be said for most shows. Smallville is growing up, and it's only appropriate that it does so.  ¶ 00:16