Entertainment

From a NY Times article of the same title by Stuart Elliott about the Super Bowl ads:

More than a dozen spots celebrated violence in an exaggerated, cartoonlike vein that was intended to be humorous, but often came across as cruel or callous.

I don't know about a connection to Iraq, but I did notice this myself: an abundance of gratuitously violent commercials that left me wincing.

This has been a weekend full of activities. Friday night we went to the Gemini concert at the Creative Spirit Center. Saturday morning Elliot had his first basketball class at the community center. Saturday afternoon we sat on the front row of the sold out Jeff Corwin show at the Midland Center for the Arts. It was an enjoyable show, especially from our close vantage point. Lisa was smitten. Here are some photos and a video. The video is of some kids about to hold an alligator...and one of the kids was really shaking in his boots.

Tonight we watched Metroland (1997,R). It stars Christian Bale and Emily Watson. The soundtrack by Mark Knopfler wasn't an asset in my opinion. From the synopsis on reel.com:

A man mired in a suburban 9-to-5 existence recalls with frustration the bohemian party life he lived in Paris a decade earlier.

I thought it was OK. I couldn't help picturing each of the characters in other roles they've played...not a good sign. I give it 3 out of 5.

Studio 60 was back on this week, and there was some news about Sorkin talking to a bunch of TV critics on the set (summary and some commentary here; a transcript of sorts here). I recently happened to catch the second episode of Dirt on FX and liked it enough to keep watching. It stars Courtney Cox as the head of tabloid-ish entertainment mag. Somehow it reminds me of Studio 60...maybe the witty banter...maybe the female head of a media organization. FX is basic cable, but with a 10 PM time slot FX allows much more profanity and sexual content than you would normally expect. Also, Rick Fox, former Tarheel and Laker, has a recurring role on the show.

From the current issue of The Week magazine:

Sacramento
A watery death
A woman who entered a water-drinking contest to win a video-game console for her three children died last week from water intoxication. Jennifer Strange, 28, was a contestant in the "Hold your wee for a Wii" contest held during the "Morning Rave" program on Sacramento FM radio station KDND. The station offered a $250 Nintendo Wii game console to the person who could drink the most water without a bathroom break. Strange drank 2 gallons of water in three hours. Several hours later, she was found dead at her home by her mother. KDND took the morning program off the air and suspended the three DJs who host it. Excess water consumption can disrupt the body's internal chemistry and cause fatal swelling of the brain.