Random Entertainment Thoughts

Big weekend:

First off, the NFL owners should be very glad that they finally came to an agreement with the players union. If they had delayed free agency any longer I was going to go all Steve Buscemi in Billy Madison on them--only without the lipstick. Hey, I'm a Browns fan, all we have to look forward to is the offseason. (Okay, maybe a little lipstick.)

The best show on television finishes its third season tonight. Will Starbuck and her crew get off Caprica? What happened to the baby? What's going to happen with Caprica6 and the reborn Sharon? Is the chief a Cylon? There is way too much for them to resolve in ninety minutes, so we all have to be prepared for the inevitable cliff hanger. Fracking cliff hangers. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not in the least bit embarrassed to be a fan of Battlestar Galactica. If anyone is too dumb to watch, that's their problem.

The new season of the Sopranos starts Sunday. That's that show about the traveling family of singers, right? It's been so long I can barely remember who is who. It can be a bit distracting when the characters age twenty years between seasons. Funny thing is that I don't even like the show that much--it's usually pretty boring and the acting, with a few exceptions, really isn't all that great. So of course I'll be in front of the tv Sunday night, watching the worst of my kind be portrayed as the coolest of my kind. I'm getting mad at myself.

Okay, some recommendations:

Reading: Lileks gave a positive shout out to novelist Michael Connelly in one of his Bleats some time ago, so I picked up a few of his books off the bargain rack. He has a reoccuring character named Harry Bosch, and I'm reading the Bosch books all out of order, but they are solid mystery/thrillers. If you are looking for a change of pace from history and politics, you could do worse.

Movies: A Lot Like Love, starring Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet, is a very good romantic comedy. I thought Ashton could only run around and act like a doofus. I was wrong. Then again, he might have just been tired from making about 47 romantic comedies over the past three years. Perfect role for Ms. Peet, too. Best she's been since The Whole Nine Yards.

Ladder 49, starring John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix, is a surprisingly engaging tribute to firefighters. The writing is first rate, especially when it came to the relationships among the firemen. Plus they avoided lots of easy cliches. Just an all around good movie.

TV: The wide-eyed ignorance of Kelly Pickler is why there is never a shortage of exotic dancers in America. Her E! True Hollywood Story will not end well. And I'm not pleased that Chicken Little has advanced when Sway and Gideon were sent home. American Idol would make so much more sense if you voted for the person you wanted to send home. I'm really watching now just to see if Ryan Seacrest is going to punch Simon Cowell. (Okay, maybe a lot of lipstick.)

The good news is that anytime I feel bad, I can turn on an episode of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius. Listen up parents, soon-to-be-parents, maybe parents, and people who like to be entertained by animated people with giant heads: The Simpsons, Family Guy, and South Park are all great, but the shock value has worn off over the years. Jimmy Neutron is still a show for kids, but it is wildly entertaining. My favorite character is a kind of kid version of Cartman. His name? Sheen Estevez. I love Jimmy Neutron.

Have a nice weekend.