Friday, March 31, 2006
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Your Mom... 's e-mail address
When visiting a few weeks ago, Limmer's mom suggested that we have some sort of a "get-together" or "party" for all our families during graduation weekend.
I ran this by my mom when we stopped in on our way back from Los Angeles and she said that she would certainly be interested in planning something for the day before or the day of graduation.
It sounds like most people already have dinner plans on the Saturday night before graduation, but most of us and our family members will be hanging around in the early afternoon following the ceremony. So perhaps the best thing to do would be to have a BBQ, or an already prepared spread of food, for everyone's lunch on Sunday. It doesn't have to be at that time though. I say we let the parents sort it all out.
My mom offered to send out a mass e-mail to everyone's parents, to see if they might be interested in organizing something. So far I have Lim's mom's e-mail and Bry's mom's e-mail. If you think one or both of your parents would like to get in on this, send me their e-mail and my mom will include them in the mass-email.
I would like to reitterate, however, that in addition to the lunch on Sunday, I still support the idea of a kegger on the Saturday night before graduation for our siblings (Limmer's brothers better be there) and our parents.
I ran this by my mom when we stopped in on our way back from Los Angeles and she said that she would certainly be interested in planning something for the day before or the day of graduation.
It sounds like most people already have dinner plans on the Saturday night before graduation, but most of us and our family members will be hanging around in the early afternoon following the ceremony. So perhaps the best thing to do would be to have a BBQ, or an already prepared spread of food, for everyone's lunch on Sunday. It doesn't have to be at that time though. I say we let the parents sort it all out.
My mom offered to send out a mass e-mail to everyone's parents, to see if they might be interested in organizing something. So far I have Lim's mom's e-mail and Bry's mom's e-mail. If you think one or both of your parents would like to get in on this, send me their e-mail and my mom will include them in the mass-email.
I would like to reitterate, however, that in addition to the lunch on Sunday, I still support the idea of a kegger on the Saturday night before graduation for our siblings (Limmer's brothers better be there) and our parents.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Videos On Demand...
What can we get done? What will we get done?
College Power Hour, Black Out Juice Documentary, TV Power Hour, Jack Bauer Power Hour, Best of Movie Power Hour...
We gotta prioritize. It sounds like a lot, and with only 5 more weeks of school it might seem like even more than we can handle. Before Tony has a heart attack (because he's already explained his position to me a number of times), I would like to state that I agree that College Power Hour is the most important of all of our video endeavors. I see it, as I'm sure many of you do, as a college scrapbook that we can drink to; sort of like our own yearbook. Next, I think Black Out Juice should be completed. Sam and Tony have both volunteered to spend their time working on this, and it'll be pretty straight-forward editing once we sync-up the audio with the video. TV Power Hour, Jack Bauer Power Hour, and Best of Movie Power Hour are the projects that we really need to kick around, discuss the possibilities, and decide whether or not they will come to fruition by the end of the semester.
There are lots of factors to consider with each video, too many for any one man to worry about. And so, at the risk of sounding formal (or even remotely similar to a character on "The Apprentice"), I think we should set up project managers for each video. Everyone will probably be asked to help out in some way on each of the videos, but it would be the project manager's responsibility to organize, keep on schedule, delegate, and oversee all aspects of the video's completion.
Since Tony and Sam have volunteered to handle Black Out Juice, I guess one of them will be in charge of piecing it together and securing the necessary materials. Limmer has offered up his hard-drive as the storage unit for the project. A digital camera is still needed to capture and import the footage.
Earlier in the semester, I sort of thrust College Power Hour upon Chris. I hope that wasn't too presumptious of me. If Chris is still interested in heading it up, that'd be great... if not, we'll figure something out. Tony has set up the g-mail account for all of us to send our pictures to. We should probably all do that within the next week. The more pictures we get, the more options we will have. I'm estimating that we'll need at least 1200 photos (20 photos for each minute). We'll have to come up with 60 categories, as well as 60 different songs. We certainly don't need to use Final Cut to put this video together, we could probably just use one of the photo programs that Apple offers. I believe Sam spoke about one that he has on his computer.
Okay... so now we get down to the not-so-necessary, but incredibly enticing opportunity of creating more Power Hours... People love the Movie Power Hour series. The DVDs are gaining a following throughout the Northeast, Georgia, parts of California, and will soon be hitting the Midwest (once we send out copies to random students at big, state universities). People are sharing them with their friends, they're talking about them with their parents (maybe that's just me and my sister). And let me point out that it's not very often that you have access to such a wide variety of tv shows, movies, digital video cameras, and editing equipment. TV/Movie Power Hours can also be extremely draining, and so it's great that we have so many people to help out with the planning, selection, execution, and post production aspects of each video. We have everything at our fingertips. I really want to take advantage of our resources and complete at least one, if not two more power hours that people will be talking about and enjoying for years to come.
TV Power Hour
An Update - We currently have a list of about 40 shows that we have copies of either on DVD or on VHS. Yesterday, Bry, Lim, and I compiled a wish list of over 20 shows that we could record off of the television and onto a blank VHS tape. We should still keep brainstorming and tossing out shows that we think might work well.
Questions and Issues - How we do find the best minute from each Series? The answer is, we probably won't. Most of the shows that we're using have shot almost 100 episodes, or more. We'd simply have to pick a good minute from one episode and test whether or not it holds up. Would we want to add different genres (aside from drama and comedy)? Should we include a minute from the Weather Channel, a minute from Rachel Ray, a minute from ESPN, a minute from QVC, a minute from Nickelodeon Games and Sports, etc...?
Gameplan - Selecting the right minute is what normally takes the longest time while constructing an MPH. So I think it would save a lot of time if we assigned 6 or 7 shows to each person (shows that that person really enjoys and has seen a number of times), and then have that person watch the shows in their free time; scanning through to find a minute that would work. For example, we would have Mark try to find minutes in "The Shield" and "The 4400," and Limmer can skim through "90210" or "Martin."
Outlook - I was real excited about taking this project on, but then I started wondering how it would turn out, and if people would be psyched for just about every minute, like with MPH. Sam pointed out that TV Power would have a wide appeal (with shows ranging from "X-Files" to "Boy Meets World" to "Spider-Man" to "Grey's Anatomy.") I agree, and that's why I think this project would be worthwile. Nonetheless, I'm not sure if each minute will be the highest quality (since we'd be settling for a good minute, and not seeking out the best minute). Still, I definitely want to do this and I think it would turn out nicely.
Jack Bauer Power Hour
An Update - The possibility of a JBPH has been discussed in many social circles. Hoefl proposed the title a few months ago, and the Circle 14 guys have also kicked around the idea. To the best of my knowledge (and according to the Google Search I did), no one has ever actually made a Jack Bauer Power Hour.
Questions and Issues - Would there be spoilers? Most likely, yes. Sam brought up this issue and also pointed out that we would targeting a much smaller group of people. Certainly, we would be aiming to appeal to only a niche group (24 fans who love Jack Bauer and have followed all the seasons) but I (personally) know tons of people that belong to that group, and I know that they would, without a doubt, love to drink to a JBPH. How would we distinguish between clips? We've talked about using the clock. Would we make each clip 57 seconds and then cut to the clock as it ticks from :58 to :59 to 1:00? This raises the issue of allowing people to know just how far into the power hour they are? Is this 1) good thing 2) bad thing, 3) doesn't matter? People can already just look at the DVD player and find out how far they are? But this would be flashing it right in front of their face... We would probably also fade in the season and hour for each clip.
Gameplan - Bry has seasons 1-3 (I believe), and I'm sure we could get a hold of season 4. We would need to talk about (preferably over an order of wings) our favorite moments from the series. A few spring to my mind almost immeadiately: season 1 - jack in the limo with the rag. season 2 - interrogating Nina. season 2 - jack springing back to life. season 4 - jack wandering off into the sunset. season 1 - staircase scene. season 3 - the mexican brothers want jack to shoot Chase.
Outlook - I was taking a shower yesterday afternoon, thinking about TV Power Hour, and then I started to imagine the possibilities of a 24 power hour. I couldn't stop thinking about how sweet it would be. 24 resembles a movie, and minutes wouldn't be too difficult to find. We would be so invested into each clip, and we could orchestrate the entire power to follow a story arc that we designed. We could have 5 straight clips of Jack Bauer interrogating suspects!!! I'd like to get some feedback on this one. If the DVD comes out nicely, Tina has suggested that I market it to Fox.
Best of Power Hour
An Update - Tony is big on this one. It wouldn't take long. We would just need to decide which 60 clips would make it.
Questions and Issues - Would this take anything away from MPH or MPH2?
Gameplan - It's up to Tony.
Outlook - It's up to Tony.
Keeping all these points in mind, we must also recognize that time is not exactly on our side. It has been proposed that we might work on these projects during Senior Week, but I'm planning on remaining in a drunken state of elation throughout the entire week, paying little attention to any deadlines, dates, or projects. During finals week however, I would be able to devote a solid two-three days of work. I probably have 4 or 5 full, weekend days available during the weeks leading up to finals week. Tony, Limmer, and Jared are also Final Cut savy and could lead an editing session if and when they are available. Like I mentioned before, it's finding the right minute which usually takes the most time, and we can all search for minutes in our spare time at home. Another big issue is finding a digital camera that we can use to capture footage with. Ben Don would probably let us use his for a couple of weekends, but we couldn't use his to capture the Black Out footage (his camera does not take DV tapes).
So what do you guys think? Let's talk about it at Wing Night.
Long Live Power Hours
College Power Hour, Black Out Juice Documentary, TV Power Hour, Jack Bauer Power Hour, Best of Movie Power Hour...
We gotta prioritize. It sounds like a lot, and with only 5 more weeks of school it might seem like even more than we can handle. Before Tony has a heart attack (because he's already explained his position to me a number of times), I would like to state that I agree that College Power Hour is the most important of all of our video endeavors. I see it, as I'm sure many of you do, as a college scrapbook that we can drink to; sort of like our own yearbook. Next, I think Black Out Juice should be completed. Sam and Tony have both volunteered to spend their time working on this, and it'll be pretty straight-forward editing once we sync-up the audio with the video. TV Power Hour, Jack Bauer Power Hour, and Best of Movie Power Hour are the projects that we really need to kick around, discuss the possibilities, and decide whether or not they will come to fruition by the end of the semester.
There are lots of factors to consider with each video, too many for any one man to worry about. And so, at the risk of sounding formal (or even remotely similar to a character on "The Apprentice"), I think we should set up project managers for each video. Everyone will probably be asked to help out in some way on each of the videos, but it would be the project manager's responsibility to organize, keep on schedule, delegate, and oversee all aspects of the video's completion.
Since Tony and Sam have volunteered to handle Black Out Juice, I guess one of them will be in charge of piecing it together and securing the necessary materials. Limmer has offered up his hard-drive as the storage unit for the project. A digital camera is still needed to capture and import the footage.
Earlier in the semester, I sort of thrust College Power Hour upon Chris. I hope that wasn't too presumptious of me. If Chris is still interested in heading it up, that'd be great... if not, we'll figure something out. Tony has set up the g-mail account for all of us to send our pictures to. We should probably all do that within the next week. The more pictures we get, the more options we will have. I'm estimating that we'll need at least 1200 photos (20 photos for each minute). We'll have to come up with 60 categories, as well as 60 different songs. We certainly don't need to use Final Cut to put this video together, we could probably just use one of the photo programs that Apple offers. I believe Sam spoke about one that he has on his computer.
Okay... so now we get down to the not-so-necessary, but incredibly enticing opportunity of creating more Power Hours... People love the Movie Power Hour series. The DVDs are gaining a following throughout the Northeast, Georgia, parts of California, and will soon be hitting the Midwest (once we send out copies to random students at big, state universities). People are sharing them with their friends, they're talking about them with their parents (maybe that's just me and my sister). And let me point out that it's not very often that you have access to such a wide variety of tv shows, movies, digital video cameras, and editing equipment. TV/Movie Power Hours can also be extremely draining, and so it's great that we have so many people to help out with the planning, selection, execution, and post production aspects of each video. We have everything at our fingertips. I really want to take advantage of our resources and complete at least one, if not two more power hours that people will be talking about and enjoying for years to come.
TV Power Hour
An Update - We currently have a list of about 40 shows that we have copies of either on DVD or on VHS. Yesterday, Bry, Lim, and I compiled a wish list of over 20 shows that we could record off of the television and onto a blank VHS tape. We should still keep brainstorming and tossing out shows that we think might work well.
Questions and Issues - How we do find the best minute from each Series? The answer is, we probably won't. Most of the shows that we're using have shot almost 100 episodes, or more. We'd simply have to pick a good minute from one episode and test whether or not it holds up. Would we want to add different genres (aside from drama and comedy)? Should we include a minute from the Weather Channel, a minute from Rachel Ray, a minute from ESPN, a minute from QVC, a minute from Nickelodeon Games and Sports, etc...?
Gameplan - Selecting the right minute is what normally takes the longest time while constructing an MPH. So I think it would save a lot of time if we assigned 6 or 7 shows to each person (shows that that person really enjoys and has seen a number of times), and then have that person watch the shows in their free time; scanning through to find a minute that would work. For example, we would have Mark try to find minutes in "The Shield" and "The 4400," and Limmer can skim through "90210" or "Martin."
Outlook - I was real excited about taking this project on, but then I started wondering how it would turn out, and if people would be psyched for just about every minute, like with MPH. Sam pointed out that TV Power would have a wide appeal (with shows ranging from "X-Files" to "Boy Meets World" to "Spider-Man" to "Grey's Anatomy.") I agree, and that's why I think this project would be worthwile. Nonetheless, I'm not sure if each minute will be the highest quality (since we'd be settling for a good minute, and not seeking out the best minute). Still, I definitely want to do this and I think it would turn out nicely.
Jack Bauer Power Hour
An Update - The possibility of a JBPH has been discussed in many social circles. Hoefl proposed the title a few months ago, and the Circle 14 guys have also kicked around the idea. To the best of my knowledge (and according to the Google Search I did), no one has ever actually made a Jack Bauer Power Hour.
Questions and Issues - Would there be spoilers? Most likely, yes. Sam brought up this issue and also pointed out that we would targeting a much smaller group of people. Certainly, we would be aiming to appeal to only a niche group (24 fans who love Jack Bauer and have followed all the seasons) but I (personally) know tons of people that belong to that group, and I know that they would, without a doubt, love to drink to a JBPH. How would we distinguish between clips? We've talked about using the clock. Would we make each clip 57 seconds and then cut to the clock as it ticks from :58 to :59 to 1:00? This raises the issue of allowing people to know just how far into the power hour they are? Is this 1) good thing 2) bad thing, 3) doesn't matter? People can already just look at the DVD player and find out how far they are? But this would be flashing it right in front of their face... We would probably also fade in the season and hour for each clip.
Gameplan - Bry has seasons 1-3 (I believe), and I'm sure we could get a hold of season 4. We would need to talk about (preferably over an order of wings) our favorite moments from the series. A few spring to my mind almost immeadiately: season 1 - jack in the limo with the rag. season 2 - interrogating Nina. season 2 - jack springing back to life. season 4 - jack wandering off into the sunset. season 1 - staircase scene. season 3 - the mexican brothers want jack to shoot Chase.
Outlook - I was taking a shower yesterday afternoon, thinking about TV Power Hour, and then I started to imagine the possibilities of a 24 power hour. I couldn't stop thinking about how sweet it would be. 24 resembles a movie, and minutes wouldn't be too difficult to find. We would be so invested into each clip, and we could orchestrate the entire power to follow a story arc that we designed. We could have 5 straight clips of Jack Bauer interrogating suspects!!! I'd like to get some feedback on this one. If the DVD comes out nicely, Tina has suggested that I market it to Fox.
Best of Power Hour
An Update - Tony is big on this one. It wouldn't take long. We would just need to decide which 60 clips would make it.
Questions and Issues - Would this take anything away from MPH or MPH2?
Gameplan - It's up to Tony.
Outlook - It's up to Tony.
Keeping all these points in mind, we must also recognize that time is not exactly on our side. It has been proposed that we might work on these projects during Senior Week, but I'm planning on remaining in a drunken state of elation throughout the entire week, paying little attention to any deadlines, dates, or projects. During finals week however, I would be able to devote a solid two-three days of work. I probably have 4 or 5 full, weekend days available during the weeks leading up to finals week. Tony, Limmer, and Jared are also Final Cut savy and could lead an editing session if and when they are available. Like I mentioned before, it's finding the right minute which usually takes the most time, and we can all search for minutes in our spare time at home. Another big issue is finding a digital camera that we can use to capture footage with. Ben Don would probably let us use his for a couple of weekends, but we couldn't use his to capture the Black Out footage (his camera does not take DV tapes).
So what do you guys think? Let's talk about it at Wing Night.
Long Live Power Hours
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Who will win the Girlfriend Olympics???
| Selection | ||
| Allison Perotti |  11% | 2 |
| Tina Capozzi | 42% | 8 |
| Zoe Palanhard to spell | 11% | 2 |
| Jenna Pelky | 16% | 3 |
| Dana Bowman | 21% | 4 |
 | | |
| 19 votes total | ||
Chris is currently devising a game show style contest to settle this longstanding debate. I know that many of the girlfriends object to the idea and nature of this competition, but it is on the board, and although the sex off seems like a distant possibility, this will hopefully happen in the next week or so. Plus its not like the loser has to clean the downstairs shower.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Watch The Show
As an Italian-American it always saddens me how The Sopranos is always viewed and critiqued as a show about Italian-Americans and the Mafia when it is, at its core, a show about Italian-Americans and family.
If simply going on "several of the clips of the show" that one has seen, it is feasible to assume that, “The show is about sex, profanity, gambling and violence.” If one actually watches the show, one would find that that is a gross generalization. If you tune out after seeing AJ yelling and cursing at his parents you will miss the types of moments as seen on last weeks episode when AJ is affectionately talking to his hospitalized father, who was recently put into a comma by his delusional Uncle Junior, all the while crying and confidently proclaiming that he will not die, that he will get through this. So AJ yells at his parents, he is a teenager. And to say that that is wrongly portraying an Italian American household is ludicrous because you obviously have never been in my house.
If The Sopranos does not portray Italian-Americans as we really are, then how are we really? Yes, the majority of Italian-Americans are not in the Mafia, but are we all lawyers, teachers, doctors, or sportscasters? No. Watch the show and one would see the abundance of Italian-Americans who exist outside the confines of organized crime. There is Tony's psychologist Dr. Melfi, Tony's neighbor the successful doctor, the characters frequent profitable restaurants and delis owned by Italians, and Tony's own daughter Meadow is in the process of deciding whether to go to law or med school. There is no way, and never will be a way, to portray an entire ethnic group of people completely on screen. But what The Sopranos does do a good job at is portraying what is at the core of many Italian-American families: family.
Family, family, family. That is what this show centers around, not organized crime. The mob ties present in the show are simply the means by which they are able to convey their message of family. If this show were simply about the ins and outs of organized crime and the Mafia there is no way it would have as broad of an appeal as it does. What draws people into the idea of the Mafia is not that killing or other illegal acts, but rather the closeness and loyalty that it breeds and The Sopranos does a fine job of showcasing how, as Italian-Americans, we practice that mentality in every aspect of our lives. Watch the show and you will have a hard time calling any of the characters presented, well maybe besides Pauly Wallnuts, cartoons. These are characters who are richly drawn and experience the wide range of human emotion and experience. It was hard to miss Tony shedding a tear during his daughter's choral concert during one of the first seasons.
To simply say “The show is about sex, profanity, gambling and violence” is, excuse the cliche, judging a book by its cover. As in with any movie or tv show or book or play (and where are the articles complaining about the perpetuation of the negative stereotypes in The Godfather movies and the heralding of them as some of the best movies ever made?), when being marketed and sold to the mass public, the most dramatic and heightened aspects of the given piece of art will be used to draw people in. But once they are in, it is the quieter moments that keep them there.
Are all housewives desperate? Are all jews neurotic like Larry David? Are all 20 somethings vapid airheads? Are all white, bald, blue eyed police officers in LA cop killers?
Is it more discriminating to have a television show like The Sopranos centered around an ethnic group who happen to feed into some widely accepted stereotypes yet being the central figures are able to show the varying shades of their lives and be presented as people rather than cartoon characters or is it better to have a show like The Shield display ethnic groups in passing, as supplemental throw away characters, who perpetuate the negative stereotypes yet never have a chance to tell their story, never have a chance to be portrayed as actual people.
Watch the show and you may catch an episode like the one dealing with the controversy over the celebration of Columbus Day as an Italian-American holiday.
Watch the show and you may catch Dr. Melfi discussing with her psychologist the negative stereotypes she faces as being an Italian-American.
Watch the show and you will see how countless times, despite their many problems, the central Soprano clan congregate at the dinner table or a bb-q and show genuine concern for and clossness with each other.
Watch the show, and then rather than complaining about how it negatively portrays Italian-Americans, educate people on the reality of what it does portray. Do not simply perpetuate the stereotype by pointing it out but rather draw people’s attention to the positive aspects of the show rather than harping on the negatives.
If simply going on "several of the clips of the show" that one has seen, it is feasible to assume that, “The show is about sex, profanity, gambling and violence.” If one actually watches the show, one would find that that is a gross generalization. If you tune out after seeing AJ yelling and cursing at his parents you will miss the types of moments as seen on last weeks episode when AJ is affectionately talking to his hospitalized father, who was recently put into a comma by his delusional Uncle Junior, all the while crying and confidently proclaiming that he will not die, that he will get through this. So AJ yells at his parents, he is a teenager. And to say that that is wrongly portraying an Italian American household is ludicrous because you obviously have never been in my house.
If The Sopranos does not portray Italian-Americans as we really are, then how are we really? Yes, the majority of Italian-Americans are not in the Mafia, but are we all lawyers, teachers, doctors, or sportscasters? No. Watch the show and one would see the abundance of Italian-Americans who exist outside the confines of organized crime. There is Tony's psychologist Dr. Melfi, Tony's neighbor the successful doctor, the characters frequent profitable restaurants and delis owned by Italians, and Tony's own daughter Meadow is in the process of deciding whether to go to law or med school. There is no way, and never will be a way, to portray an entire ethnic group of people completely on screen. But what The Sopranos does do a good job at is portraying what is at the core of many Italian-American families: family.
Family, family, family. That is what this show centers around, not organized crime. The mob ties present in the show are simply the means by which they are able to convey their message of family. If this show were simply about the ins and outs of organized crime and the Mafia there is no way it would have as broad of an appeal as it does. What draws people into the idea of the Mafia is not that killing or other illegal acts, but rather the closeness and loyalty that it breeds and The Sopranos does a fine job of showcasing how, as Italian-Americans, we practice that mentality in every aspect of our lives. Watch the show and you will have a hard time calling any of the characters presented, well maybe besides Pauly Wallnuts, cartoons. These are characters who are richly drawn and experience the wide range of human emotion and experience. It was hard to miss Tony shedding a tear during his daughter's choral concert during one of the first seasons.
To simply say “The show is about sex, profanity, gambling and violence” is, excuse the cliche, judging a book by its cover. As in with any movie or tv show or book or play (and where are the articles complaining about the perpetuation of the negative stereotypes in The Godfather movies and the heralding of them as some of the best movies ever made?), when being marketed and sold to the mass public, the most dramatic and heightened aspects of the given piece of art will be used to draw people in. But once they are in, it is the quieter moments that keep them there.
Are all housewives desperate? Are all jews neurotic like Larry David? Are all 20 somethings vapid airheads? Are all white, bald, blue eyed police officers in LA cop killers?
Is it more discriminating to have a television show like The Sopranos centered around an ethnic group who happen to feed into some widely accepted stereotypes yet being the central figures are able to show the varying shades of their lives and be presented as people rather than cartoon characters or is it better to have a show like The Shield display ethnic groups in passing, as supplemental throw away characters, who perpetuate the negative stereotypes yet never have a chance to tell their story, never have a chance to be portrayed as actual people.
Watch the show and you may catch an episode like the one dealing with the controversy over the celebration of Columbus Day as an Italian-American holiday.
Watch the show and you may catch Dr. Melfi discussing with her psychologist the negative stereotypes she faces as being an Italian-American.
Watch the show and you will see how countless times, despite their many problems, the central Soprano clan congregate at the dinner table or a bb-q and show genuine concern for and clossness with each other.
Watch the show, and then rather than complaining about how it negatively portrays Italian-Americans, educate people on the reality of what it does portray. Do not simply perpetuate the stereotype by pointing it out but rather draw people’s attention to the positive aspects of the show rather than harping on the negatives.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
The Link to the Article
Here's the Sopranos article on espn.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=paolantonio/060321
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=paolantonio/060321
Yes, my dad hates the sopranos
Yes, Sal hates the Sopranos. Just be glad you didn't have to hear his lectures about how much he hates the show and how bad it is for the italian american image EVERY MONDAY before school. I think he has been victimized by some anti-italian american bias in his life... once, in the news room, another reporter told him, "that name belongs on the side of a cement truck, not on a newspaper." And I think that happened a lot--so maybe it is personal.
I do know, however, that he hates the show because it portrays italian americans as acting in the only way that the rest of American society believes that we act. Keep in mind, we all come from the Northeast, which is very heavilly populated with italian americans so we understand that italians hold many legal and worthwhile positions in our communities. However, the rest of America doesn't see a lot of us and therefore may take what we understand as pure stereotype as reality. My dad goes on to argue that there would never--and should never--be a show stereotyping jews as cheap, as blacks as criminal drug dealers and wife beaters, or irish as drunken slobs. I agree that those shows would never make it to TV, but the mafia holds a lot of mystique--people are curious about it. plus, "the god father" and "goodfellas" are two pieces of great art. It is possible to tell a story about the mob in a sensitive, artful manner, which I don't think the Sopranos does.
when sam alito was appointed to the supreme court my dad told me that he was happy to see another italian american in a real position of power. we got into a big argument because i said that, as a white man, alito is not exactly in the minority just because of his italian american heritage. it has been a long time since italian americans have been systematically discriminated against in america-- like 100 years. it is way more important to focus our attention on creating a level playing field in the competition for power in society for non-whites and women than a certian kind of white men.
so that's the argument in the paolantonio household about the sopranos. bottom line: don't ever get him started if you're running late for school.
I do know, however, that he hates the show because it portrays italian americans as acting in the only way that the rest of American society believes that we act. Keep in mind, we all come from the Northeast, which is very heavilly populated with italian americans so we understand that italians hold many legal and worthwhile positions in our communities. However, the rest of America doesn't see a lot of us and therefore may take what we understand as pure stereotype as reality. My dad goes on to argue that there would never--and should never--be a show stereotyping jews as cheap, as blacks as criminal drug dealers and wife beaters, or irish as drunken slobs. I agree that those shows would never make it to TV, but the mafia holds a lot of mystique--people are curious about it. plus, "the god father" and "goodfellas" are two pieces of great art. It is possible to tell a story about the mob in a sensitive, artful manner, which I don't think the Sopranos does.
when sam alito was appointed to the supreme court my dad told me that he was happy to see another italian american in a real position of power. we got into a big argument because i said that, as a white man, alito is not exactly in the minority just because of his italian american heritage. it has been a long time since italian americans have been systematically discriminated against in america-- like 100 years. it is way more important to focus our attention on creating a level playing field in the competition for power in society for non-whites and women than a certian kind of white men.
so that's the argument in the paolantonio household about the sopranos. bottom line: don't ever get him started if you're running late for school.
Simmons Blasts Sal Pal
Dave (NJ): Could you tell Sal Paolantonio to get off his soap box about "The Sopranos" and let him know it is a TV show about the Italian Mafia, which heaven forbid, does exist.
Bill Simmons: (2:59 PM ET ) The half-Italian in me was outraged by Sal's piece. My Stepdad is Italian and his entire Sunday night revolves around that show -- when it came on at 6 here on the HBO East, we watched it, then he scampered back to his hotel room to catch the re-run at 9. I don't know what Sal was talking about. It's like saying that Indiana hoops fans should turn their back on "Hoosiers."
Does anyone know what piece Sal did that this exchange references? Zoe any comments? I know that Chris is a full blooded Italian-American who worships the show like it was Jessica Alba's first nude scene. Does Sal not like that it stereotypes Italian-Americans?
Bill Simmons: (2:59 PM ET ) The half-Italian in me was outraged by Sal's piece. My Stepdad is Italian and his entire Sunday night revolves around that show -- when it came on at 6 here on the HBO East, we watched it, then he scampered back to his hotel room to catch the re-run at 9. I don't know what Sal was talking about. It's like saying that Indiana hoops fans should turn their back on "Hoosiers."
Does anyone know what piece Sal did that this exchange references? Zoe any comments? I know that Chris is a full blooded Italian-American who worships the show like it was Jessica Alba's first nude scene. Does Sal not like that it stereotypes Italian-Americans?
Thank you, Rand.
So i woke up this morning and thought, "Aw, that was a good night. Saw some people i havent seen in a while- good times. Wait, did i see the 613ers last night??" And then it hit me:
"PUTAAAAAA!"
Aaah- Samo. Of course. How could I have forgotten Rand's flagrant abuse of his spanish skills, teaching samo every foul slang expression he knew. Well done, Rand. Gladys would be proud. Too bad anyone in the bar who has ever used their spanish dictionary to look up bad words instead of doing their homework would know that Sam's outbursts of "PUUTTAAA" were not only inappropriate, but offensive (albeit pretty darn hillarious).
And then it all came flooding back. Best part-- although Tony's senior class visor was a close contestant-- was watching Limmer abscond with kimba's (superbly) stolen mushroom slice. Ah- and then kimba getting caught trying to take her second freebie-- Classic. It was a nice evening.
p.s. what a delightful 1st post this turned out to be!
"PUTAAAAAA!"
Aaah- Samo. Of course. How could I have forgotten Rand's flagrant abuse of his spanish skills, teaching samo every foul slang expression he knew. Well done, Rand. Gladys would be proud. Too bad anyone in the bar who has ever used their spanish dictionary to look up bad words instead of doing their homework would know that Sam's outbursts of "PUUTTAAA" were not only inappropriate, but offensive (albeit pretty darn hillarious).
And then it all came flooding back. Best part-- although Tony's senior class visor was a close contestant-- was watching Limmer abscond with kimba's (superbly) stolen mushroom slice. Ah- and then kimba getting caught trying to take her second freebie-- Classic. It was a nice evening.
p.s. what a delightful 1st post this turned out to be!
Thursday, March 23, 2006
i said "people" not "men"
as my first entry on the blog, i would like to clarify that i did not, in fact, have sex with four people on st. patty's day. but thank you sam, for posting that sound bite on the internet. my future employers won't have enough to look at once they see all the pictures of me trashed with my boobs falling out--now there will be a sound track to my college career. oh well, i wouldn't want to work for anyone who wouldn't hire me just because i was into gang banging anyway.
on another note, if the girlfriend olympics does take place (which i'm not advocating) can i be the ref, since i'm not techinically a girlfriend anymore? can i be on the next guess who board?
on another note, if the girlfriend olympics does take place (which i'm not advocating) can i be the ref, since i'm not techinically a girlfriend anymore? can i be on the next guess who board?
I Just Won a Thousand Dollars!
Well, not really, because I am not Keith Hannon. Thanks for the invite to the 613 blog...now get me more sugar water!
P.S. for those of you who did not come to LA with us, the above message is to be read in the voice of the farmer whose body is taken over by an alien in the movie, Men In Black.
Also remember when Mark drunkenly stomped into a hottub full of girls like he was Jesus? That was awesome....a classic move! The thought of it always makes me laugh.
well that was sufficiently random (gotta love A.D.D) I'm gonna go take my clothes off and punch people in the face....oh, and hop shit! Muah, Muah, Muah
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Yankee Haters
F@#$ the Yankees,
Interesting article by the sports business guy at ESPN.com about a guy who makes yankee hater hats and is being sued by the Yankees and MLB. In other news, wednsdays are fantastic.....Time to finish my beer and get another.
-Tony
Interesting article by the sports business guy at ESPN.com about a guy who makes yankee hater hats and is being sued by the Yankees and MLB. In other news, wednsdays are fantastic.....Time to finish my beer and get another.
-Tony
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Barfield?????
I think a lot of 613ers, ESPN viewers, and Gammon's fans alike were confused by his incredibly obscure reference to a baseball player reicarnated in the body of Willy Mo Pena.
Gammons wrote (and mentioned in a segment on sportscenter)
"The Red Sox hope this is a deal for today, giving them a boost against lefties and cutting down on the lefties coming out of the bullpen to face Nixon -- and for the future. Pena loves to play, wants to learn and because he was out of options and in the big leagues at 20, his development has been seriously retarded. Boston hopes it has another Jessie Barfield who after the age of 23 and with almost an identical number of at-bats, had a .309 on-base percentage, the same exact .780 OPS and 45 homers, in contrast to Pena's 51."
I looked up Barfield's career on BaseballReference.com and if Gammons is right, the sox have just picked up an outfielder that will hit 14 home runs and knock in 49 RBI's this year.
Gammons wrote (and mentioned in a segment on sportscenter)
"The Red Sox hope this is a deal for today, giving them a boost against lefties and cutting down on the lefties coming out of the bullpen to face Nixon -- and for the future. Pena loves to play, wants to learn and because he was out of options and in the big leagues at 20, his development has been seriously retarded. Boston hopes it has another Jessie Barfield who after the age of 23 and with almost an identical number of at-bats, had a .309 on-base percentage, the same exact .780 OPS and 45 homers, in contrast to Pena's 51."
I looked up Barfield's career on BaseballReference.com and if Gammons is right, the sox have just picked up an outfielder that will hit 14 home runs and knock in 49 RBI's this year.
Funny Basketball Story
Its incredible that this story came to me from the UK rather than Tony K. or Wilbon.
Check this link out. The story is about a recent USC v. Cal basketball game.
Check this link out. The story is about a recent USC v. Cal basketball game.
The peak of Jason Alexander's career.
The performance in this classic 80's McDonalds commercial rivals Chris's imitation of Enrique.
Commercial
Commercial
Monday, March 20, 2006
Oh Edgar
The sports guy daily links page offers this article on everyone's favorite dead tech analyst. Its so sad to see him go out like chris loozing a foosball game.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
St. Patty's Day
Well, St Patty's Day was quite a day of drinking.
I started early with liminowski at 1:00 with a glass of Irish coffee. Before I had finished the coffee the soon to be puking Limmer was already polishing off a vodka tonic. We then went down to Kilpatricks, chilled with Dave-- the overweight drunk hitting on 40 year old women, hada free pint of guinness on the bartender, and then polished off our first car-bomb before going back to 613. When we got home official skippy taster Tony was drinking a few glasses of skippy that Rand had accidentally put too much vodka in. Once the dyed green juice was primed and in the fridge waiting for the party to begin, Mark, Tony, Lim and I got ready for a Car bomb. Some how, we convinced Lim to chug a glass of irish whisky. When he finished the glass, he chased it with some vodka tonic, and was completely unphazed...yet.
The Field Hockey team arrived a little before six, bringing cupcakes, some excellent cleave, and their usual appetite for drinking. I brought out my Irish flag of jello shots, and the girls downed them quickly, moving on to tina's cupcakes that were dyed green and excellent.
At this point in the night my memory starts getting blurry. I know that Anne Fortune did do her first car bomb and yell that was the illest; she also gave me irish tap dancing type lessons. Later we played flip cup and Marrissa -- with her helmet, and homemade shirt reading "today Im irish tomorrow I'm hungover"-- played well. Unfotunatley it didn't translate to the foosball table. Chris and Bri accomplished the second shutout in the history of 613. Mel and helmet girl, to their credit, stripped to their dundees, and ran around the house.
We then brought out a bunch of bowls of jello. Chris and tina shoved jello into everyones mouths. We all rocked out to O-town, jared and chris actually beat me and mark in foosball and Rand made BBQ wings.
The rest of the night is reallllllly blacked out. All I know is that lim stole pizza, Mark and I did an excellent job balancing, and Jenna fell down stairs, bruising her knee, and trasnforming into drunk pelky.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
613 Email
I have gone ahead and set up a email account for everyone to send pictures to for the college power hour. It is 613Hudson@gmail.com So email any and all pictures you have that you want included in the college power hour......
-Tony
-Tony
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Isaac Hayes and 'South Park'
Isaac Hayes Wants Out of 'South Park' - Creators only too happy to oblige - Zap2it
Mark was talking about this earlier
Mark was talking about this earlier
Blogger Help : What is BlogThis! ?
Blogger Help : What is BlogThis! ?
To make it easier to publish links to the blog, click on this link and follow the easy instructions. It takes under a min.
Anyone want to send a drunk dial to the blog?? It sounds nerdy, but then again so is living with chris. Go to this link and set up your own drunk dial number. Again it will only take a min.
To make it easier to publish links to the blog, click on this link and follow the easy instructions. It takes under a min.
Anyone want to send a drunk dial to the blog?? It sounds nerdy, but then again so is living with chris. Go to this link and set up your own drunk dial number. Again it will only take a min.
Boxed Wine and Nachos With Cheese: A Look Back
It's been a few weeks since we hosted this party. I'm posting a late entry because it took a little time to gain some perspective.
A few things have become clear to me and I'd like to share my insights with you:
People can't say no to a tub of cheese
ICFH just might be able to beat us in the "Who can eat their never-ending bowl of chips at Chili's the fastest" game
White Sangria tastes like "Capri Sun"
The only thing Tony wants to do in life is go to Vegas
Chris has a child molester outfit which consists of a brown t-shirt, black suspenders, slicked-back hair, and grey pants... (we should have never let him change into something appropriate)
"Walking in Memphis" is a great drunk sing-a-long
People buy into the concept of "free t-shirts" without any hesitation, but apparently they have a hard time believing that someone would actually give away free souvenir glasses. Nearly all of the glasses we gave out were left at our house... we should play beirut with them one night, it'll feel like we're trying to win a prize at one of those impossible carnival games that I vowed to never play again after spending $20 at Dorney Park only to settle for the consolation prize (a Slurpee my mom promised to give me if I'd stop)... much thanks go out to Rob for buying the glasses
To heat up a bowl of chese - Microwave uncovered for 50 seconds, take out and stir. Microwave for another 45 seconds, take out and stir. Microwave for a final 50 seconds, take out, stir, and serve... always serve to field hockey players first... if you have trouble finding the field hockey players, don't worry, they'll find you.
Tony's children will probably miss out on Christmas one year because when he's wasted, he'll search the Internet and decide to spend $3000 on a tie worn by David Duchovny, using the only credit card his wife still lets him keep. Mark will be standing right behind him when he makes the purchase.
It doesn't matter how much you've had to drink, whenever someone puts on a Movie Power Hour, you are able to summon an inner strength and down some more.
Boxed Wine and Nachos with Cheese go together like a sheet pizza and 20 wings (or buffalo chicken and a cheesteak if that helps).
A few things have become clear to me and I'd like to share my insights with you:
People can't say no to a tub of cheese
ICFH just might be able to beat us in the "Who can eat their never-ending bowl of chips at Chili's the fastest" game
White Sangria tastes like "Capri Sun"
The only thing Tony wants to do in life is go to Vegas
Chris has a child molester outfit which consists of a brown t-shirt, black suspenders, slicked-back hair, and grey pants... (we should have never let him change into something appropriate)
"Walking in Memphis" is a great drunk sing-a-long
People buy into the concept of "free t-shirts" without any hesitation, but apparently they have a hard time believing that someone would actually give away free souvenir glasses. Nearly all of the glasses we gave out were left at our house... we should play beirut with them one night, it'll feel like we're trying to win a prize at one of those impossible carnival games that I vowed to never play again after spending $20 at Dorney Park only to settle for the consolation prize (a Slurpee my mom promised to give me if I'd stop)... much thanks go out to Rob for buying the glasses
To heat up a bowl of chese - Microwave uncovered for 50 seconds, take out and stir. Microwave for another 45 seconds, take out and stir. Microwave for a final 50 seconds, take out, stir, and serve... always serve to field hockey players first... if you have trouble finding the field hockey players, don't worry, they'll find you.
Tony's children will probably miss out on Christmas one year because when he's wasted, he'll search the Internet and decide to spend $3000 on a tie worn by David Duchovny, using the only credit card his wife still lets him keep. Mark will be standing right behind him when he makes the purchase.
It doesn't matter how much you've had to drink, whenever someone puts on a Movie Power Hour, you are able to summon an inner strength and down some more.
Boxed Wine and Nachos with Cheese go together like a sheet pizza and 20 wings (or buffalo chicken and a cheesteak if that helps).
Monday, March 13, 2006
St. Guinness Day
This Friday March 17 is St. Patty's Day and because its on the To Do list and is possibly the greatest drinking holiday of the year, 613 is having a part. The details of the party are not finalized but a few things are certain: there will be large amounts of guinness, Irish whisky, and Irish cream. I can almost guarantee a belligerently drunk Limmer, Tony falling asleep in our bathroom, my little brother coming to Ithaca, and lots and lots of car bombs.
Personally, I am looking forward to the first batch of green skippy, seeing our favorite drunk FH players, and hearing Ann fortune yell "that was the illest" after she does a carbomb.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Everyone's a Little Bit Racist
Sitting in the mall today waiting for some shopping to finish I had a few minutes to think about the statement 'Everyone's a little bit racist.' It's an idea that many people have grown to accept, and popular culture is perpetuating in the musical Avenue Q, which I haven't seen but which has a hilarious soundtrack--including the song 'Everyone's a little bit racist.'
But it's a false idea which misinterprets the meaning of the word racism and thus breeds an unintellectual misunderstanding of cultural bias.
For example, this summer I lived in the Bronx. One night I was walking down dark alley and I felt a slight pang of fear when I saw a burly Black thug walking toward me. Some people jumped to the conclusion that that meant I'm a little racist.
No, it doesn't. What it does mean is that I lived and worked in the Bronx all summer, and knew a little bit about the area. People are stabbed there every month for intruding on drug deals, looking at people wrong, messing with gangs, or just in random muggings. It happens that most of the criminals are either Hispanic or Black.
If I were a little bit racist I would say, 'Of course the criminals are Hispanic or Black, Hispanics and Blacks are violent and deviant BECAUSE they are HIspanic and Black. It's in their Blood.' Racism means attributing certain characteristics to a person because of their race. Then, whenever I saw one of these people I would be scared a little BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE.
But I wasn't scared of the burly thug because of his race.
I would have been scared if he were Black, Hispanic, White, Asian, Polish whatever. I was scared because he was a thug, and thugs in my neighborhood were generally poor and generally involved in illegal, and often violent, activities.
That's the misinterpretation. We often attribute our feelings of insecurity to RACE instead of to the contextual, environmental and socio-economical factors of the situation.
There were a lot of Black criminals in my neighborhood. Not because Blacks are inherently more criminal than whites, but because history has placed more Blacks than it has whites in crime inducing contexts.
Overcoming this misinterpretation of our feelings and misunderstanding of what Racism means is a major step in coming to grips with our personal conflicts and insecurities in our race-charged culture.
But it's a false idea which misinterprets the meaning of the word racism and thus breeds an unintellectual misunderstanding of cultural bias.
For example, this summer I lived in the Bronx. One night I was walking down dark alley and I felt a slight pang of fear when I saw a burly Black thug walking toward me. Some people jumped to the conclusion that that meant I'm a little racist.
No, it doesn't. What it does mean is that I lived and worked in the Bronx all summer, and knew a little bit about the area. People are stabbed there every month for intruding on drug deals, looking at people wrong, messing with gangs, or just in random muggings. It happens that most of the criminals are either Hispanic or Black.
If I were a little bit racist I would say, 'Of course the criminals are Hispanic or Black, Hispanics and Blacks are violent and deviant BECAUSE they are HIspanic and Black. It's in their Blood.' Racism means attributing certain characteristics to a person because of their race. Then, whenever I saw one of these people I would be scared a little BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE.
But I wasn't scared of the burly thug because of his race.
I would have been scared if he were Black, Hispanic, White, Asian, Polish whatever. I was scared because he was a thug, and thugs in my neighborhood were generally poor and generally involved in illegal, and often violent, activities.
That's the misinterpretation. We often attribute our feelings of insecurity to RACE instead of to the contextual, environmental and socio-economical factors of the situation.
There were a lot of Black criminals in my neighborhood. Not because Blacks are inherently more criminal than whites, but because history has placed more Blacks than it has whites in crime inducing contexts.
Overcoming this misinterpretation of our feelings and misunderstanding of what Racism means is a major step in coming to grips with our personal conflicts and insecurities in our race-charged culture.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
gladwell dot com - the moral hazard myth
gladwell dot com - the moral hazard myth
This is an excellent article about America's heath care system. Kind of unrelated to the normal content on the blog, but worth reading.
This is an excellent article about America's heath care system. Kind of unrelated to the normal content on the blog, but worth reading.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)