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March 31, 2005
Another Fine Journalist Leaves TeeVee: Farewell Ted Koppel
Jacques Steinberg in the NYT reports that Ted Koppel has chosen not to renew his contract when it expires in December. Reading between the lines, its clear that Koppel was frustrated that ABC and Disney have no respect for "Nightline," the half hour news program he has hosted for the last twenty-five years. It's sad to see him go, but not unexpected. The rumor has been floating around on the media pages of newspapers for months. I fervently hope ABC doesn't throw out "Nightline," leaving only "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in their late night repertoire. Jimmy was funny as the Sports Guy for Kevin & Bean on K-ROQ; but I find him irritating as a late night host.
More info:
"Ted Koppel to Leave 'Nightline' and ABC News"
Posted by cj at 12:48 PM | Comments (0)
March 30, 2005
Freelance Writers Gettin Paid
Reuters reports in the NYT "Settlement in Freelance Writers' Suit." Apparently all the big media corporations were usin freelance pieces online and in databases without paying for the use. The strange part is that writers will get more money if they registered their copyrights. I always thought copyright was assumed by the author unless otherwise specified. I guess I should look into how one registers copyrights.
Posted by cj at 11:25 AM | Comments (1)
Miramax is Dead, Long Live Miramax
"Disney and Miramax Chiefs Call It Quits," by David Halbfinger in the NYT details the breakup of the Weinstein bros. and Disney. Most interesting aspect of the article: the films in development it mentions. For example:
Kevin Smith is planning a sequel to "Clerks."
Anthony Minghella's planning "Breaking and Entering," starring Jude Law and Juliet Binoche
and Robert Rodriguez is teaming up with Quentin Tarantino for the sequel to "Sin City"
Posted by cj at 11:20 AM | Comments (1)
March 24, 2005
Red Light, the Dinner
After witnessing the marvel that is a Chocolate Bag on "Check, Please!" mi amor made a reservation for my birthday.
A little background for people who don't live in Chicago - "Check, Please!" is a show on PBS that features three regular Chicagoans reviewing three restaurants (each person suggests a place to review, then they all eat there and go on the show and talk about the experience). Its hosted by one of the few female sommeliers in the world. Anyway, Red Light was featured and they highlighted the Chocolate Bag.
Our night began with changing into fancy pants clothes. Then we drove to the restaurant and were seated right away. That was the last time we were served immediately. Mind you, we were taken to a table that was so close to the tables around it, the hostess had to pull the table away to let me have room to sit down (and then pushed it in so far I had no leg room left). At times, I felt like I could hear my neighbors' conversations better than mi chavo's voice.
We ordered drinks and appetizers first: I had a green lantern (Midori Sour, Rasberry Vodka, and something else) and mi chavo had a My Tai. He ordered lobster wraps (wrapped in crispy wontons) and I ordered vegetarian Vietnamese spring rolls (bits of veggies wrapped in extremely thin rice paper). Our appetizers arrived before our drinks.
Next to arrive was the wine, poured by a friendly sommelier. The guy was thrilled that we had picked a Portugese white wine that tasted like liquid metal. The sommelier raved about the wine and how well it went with their food. Mi chavo enjoyed it, but like I said, it tasted like liquid metal.
Next to arrive was the main course. The server accidentally put mi chavo's plate in front of me. When he picked it up to move it over to mi amor's side of the table, he knocked over my martini glass - breaking it and spilling my Green Lantern all over the floor. Thankfully, it didn't get on me or my neighbor. The sommelier seemed offended when I said I would like a replacement glass. (Hell yeah - sweet, bright green goodness trumps metallically wine everyday of the week!) My main course was Chicken Vindaloo - chicken with an apple potato curry; mi chavo had Mee Gha Ti - chicken stir fry with chili, mint, rice noodles, and kaffir lime coconut sauce. We also ordered a delicious side of asparagus and shitake mushrooms. The food was very good. Surprisingly large portions of everything...and then, mi chavo bit into a chili and he wasn't as happy as he had been with his "refreshing" dinner.
Eventually, I had to use the facilities...a girl can only drink so much...and that created the need to move the entire table to allow me to squeeze between it and the potted tree seated next to me. When I got back, the waiter brought my chocolate bag with a candle in it. Yay! I made a very sappy wish and blew it out. Both mi chavo and I were surprised at how small the bag was. I assume that "Check, Please!" took the picture straight on, making the bag appear much larger than it actually is. Nevertheless, it was delicious.
The Chocolate Bag is a bag made out of Belgian dark chocolate. The first thing you see is a blueberry and sliced strawberries, topped with whipped cream. Underneath that berry goodness is white chocolate mousse. Omigoodness. There is no slice of heaven better than a Chocolate Bag. I also had a latte. Mi amor had some coffee and some other dessert (coconut banana something or other - really, who cares? go for the Chocolate Bag all the way). I'm just sad I didn't save enough room to finish my bag. I stopped about half way through. Sigh.
I've decided that the waiter's bad attitude and the closeness of the tables make Red Light a place I don't need to go back to for dinner. On the other hand, saddling up to the bar for a Chocolate Bag and some brandy is something I hope to do in the near future....
Posted by cj at 02:39 PM | Comments (0)
Bday was Fab...Can I Go to Sleep Now?
Mi chavo and I spent yesterday on holiday...he made breakfast, I decided to go to the Museum of Science and Industry (partly b/c he's been to the Field Museum a lot) and off we went. Didn't know it was on the South Side. Saw more of the lake getting there than I normally do. Including some really pretty waves crashing against the shore.
Stood in line for tickets - realized we should've bought them online, but neither of us has a printer (at home). Experienced a boy's love of trains (really, I've never understood the fascination...though I did always want to ride on the train in the "Silver Spoon's" mansion). Went through a boring toy exhibit (how do you make toys boring? Talk to a bunch of geeky computer scientists about automation and CAD), went through an exhibit on Oil (weird and clearly sponsored by the oil industry), then got in line for the Body Exhibit.
So the body exhibit includes bits of 200 cadavers - all people who donated their bodies to science. Through a process called plastinization, they were able to show real bits of the body never seen before by the public. It was fascinating, but a bit one-sided: almost all of the bits came from males and the only parts of the exhibit that highlighted women were a disturbing room on fetuses and a woman who died while eight months pregnant (her body, in a reclining position, was opened to show the fetus and how the fetus pushes its mother's organs to the side while it develops) and a couple of women's crotches. That's it. No comparison of male and female hips. A couple of cross-sections of boobs, but no full skeletons showing the differences between men and women's bodies. The only full female skeletons showed off muscles flexing while doing athletics. It was rather odd.
Then we had lunch.
Then we went to Game On - an exhibit on the history of computer gaming, which is really an excuse to bring together a cross section of games, starting with Pong and going through Dance, Dance Revolution. Visitors can play the games as much as they want (although you're asked to be nice and share with your fellow visitors) all for the $5 Game On admission price. What I don't understand is why Frogger wasn't included. That and how a family could be as rude as they were in hogging the Ms. Pacman machine. But it looked like mi chavo really enjoyed the exhibit, which was good.
Then it was on to an Omnimax presentation on "The Human Body," which I thought was going to compliment the exhibit we saw. Instead, it was a lot of dialogue and very little pictures from inside the body. Still, the human heart, lungs, ears, and especially the stomach were interesting to see so close and big. Alas, the image of a human stomach still sits badly with me (imagine watching an actor eat a salad then following a tomato into her stomach....ew). Plus, they showed someone popping a zit - in Omnimax widescreen vision. On the bright side, there were adorable babies included. Apparently, people are born with the ability to hold their breath underwater and this trait is lost around 6 months if its not helped along. So there were lil babies swimmin in the pool with their mommies. Oh, I tell you, they were adorable.
Then we went home and changed for our dinner, which I will describe in my next post.
For now, lemme just say I'm exhausted. I want to take a nap. A long nap. Sigh. Can't wait for the day to be over.
Posted by cj at 01:47 PM | Comments (0)
March 23, 2005
Happy Birthday to Me
I'm having the best birthday ever. There's only one thing missing. Mi chavo convinced me to take the day off of work, to enjoy it with him. We're on our way to the Museum of Science and Industry; yes, we can be super dorks.
The thing missing? Homemade chocolate birthday cake (chocolate cake, chocolate frosting) from my mom. MMMMM. Oh, how I miss it. (And eating it on everyone else's bday.)
Posted by cj at 10:01 AM | Comments (1)
March 22, 2005
My Stuffy Head
I am in the worst mood. My head is stuffed. My brain is fried. I keep wishing I was interested in something more cultural so I'd have something to write about on this blog. Nothing's coming. I could post about Les Miz, but frankly I'm not in the mood. I want to curl up in bed with a book. Reading and dozing off sound really nice right now. Arg. I just hope mi chavo doesn't complain about my negativity tonight. What a great birthday eve....
Posted by cj at 04:10 PM | Comments (0)
Quote on Writing
Our admiration of fine writing will always be in proportion to its real difficulty and its apparent ease. -Charles Caleb Colton, author and clergyman (1780-1832)
from A.W.A.D.
Posted by cj at 09:04 AM | Comments (0)
March 18, 2005
2 Yrs Too Late, Vatican Bans Da Vinci Code
Twenty million copies have been sold. The book has been translated into forty-four languages. A day late and a dollar short, the Vatican has now officially condemned The Da Vinci Code and asks true Catholics not to read or buy the book.
Apparently, they're alarmed at the growing number of tourists going to Rome on a Da Vinci code holiday. They might also be scared that even more people will be clued into alternative Christian history because the book is being made into a movie starring Tom Hanks.
More info:
"20 Million Copies Later, Vatican Says Don't Read 'Da Vinci Code': The bestserller is a pack of lies that maligns Jesus and harms Catholocism, a cardinal announces." By Tracy Wilkinson in the LAT
Posted by cj at 12:05 PM | Comments (0)
Feeding Live Animals to the Lions at Zoos
At safari parks in China, large, live, domestic animals are consistently fed to lions and tigers. Now, safari operators are conceding that this isn't exactly proper during visitor hours. From Reuters:
[T]he safari park agreement only restricts the release of large domestic animals, such as oxen and horses, during the presence of visitors, the agency said.Can someone please explain how it is a good idea to allow visitors to feed anything to wild animals? Particularly in a safari park, which I assume means there are no cages? Oddness."Feeding when the park is not open is permitted. Parks are allowed to continue to sell small birds for visitors to feed the wild beasts."
"This Isn't What You Expect at a Zoo..." from Reuters
found via Today's Papers
Posted by cj at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)
March 12, 2005
Halleluyah! The Mistress of Music is Back!
Acording to eircom, Kate Bush has been working on a new album for awhile and announced in December that it is almost finished and will be out in 2005. Could it be?!?!
How exciting!!!
Oh my goodness...we watched the Metallica doc last night and mi chavo had flashbacks to his youth. Reading up about Ms. Bush leaves me reminiscing about my own childhood. YAY!
Posted by cj at 12:56 PM | Comments (0)
Happy Almost Birthday to Me
Mi Chavo asked me to write a bday wish list, like I did for Hanukah. Frankly, there's absolutely no reason for him to buy me another present. He's already bought tickets to Les Miz (we're going next Thursday at the Cadillac Theater) and plans to take me to Red Light on my bday (Wednesday, March 23).
That being said, there's no reason other loved ones couldn't buy me something. Topping my list of really wants are This Woman's Work Anthology - the Kate Bush box set that includes everything she made up to 1990 and La Femme Nikita, Season Two (finally being re-released by Warner Bros. on March 15).
If you don't have a couple of C notes to throw my way, have no fear. My Amazon wish list includes many other (cheaper) options.
This self-indulgence was brought to you by mi chavo's love.
Posted by cj at 12:49 PM | Comments (0)
March 10, 2005
Deep Thoughts from A Word A Day
I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinion of himself than on the opinion of others. -Marcus Aurelius, philosopher (121-180)
Posted by cj at 02:44 PM | Comments (0)
March 09, 2005
Should You Be Denied Admission for Wanting to Know if You Were Admitted?
Harvard and MIT business schools are pulling their offers of admission from folks who followed a hacker's instructions and viewed their admission status early on the schools' websites. In this era of heightened sensitivity to business ethics - when the CEO of Boeing can be fired for having a consensual affair - the schools think it is right to crack down on hacks. Hacking, by the way, is an MIT tradition - granted, the term was originally used for random pranks (like stealing a car, dis-assembling it and re-assembling it on top of a building). Still, I don't think anyone was prosecuted for the aforementioned car jacking. Although, I don't think their paper trail was quite as obvious as the electronic one left by business school wannabes.
More info from Jay Lindsay, AP reporter: "Harvard, MIT Deny Admissions for Computer Peeking: Rejects Calls Schools' Reaction to Web Page 'Hack' Excessive" via AIM
Posted by cj at 09:35 AM | Comments (1)
March 08, 2005
Busy Bee
There have been staffing changes at work that have made me hella busy for the last month and will keep me busy for the next month. I feel guilty for not updating this blog - or my other blog - more frequently. It also feels weird to not have as much time to read the news. Especially since I've been able to get a coworker's copy of the WSJ recently and can't find the time to read it. Sigh. On the positive side, I'm extremely happy with my job and my living situation. Mi chavo is the best roommate EVER. I particularly enjoyed my breakfast dessert this morning....
Posted by cj at 05:00 PM | Comments (0)
March 03, 2005
TeeVee Times
A co-worker recently asked me to pick a night for drinks. I admitted the sad truth - my one time restraint is deciding which teevee shows I'm willing to miss. As a guide to those who are bored and mi chavo, here's my nightly list:
Monday
8p Las Vegas (apparently either on hiatus or done for the year)
Tuesday
7p Gilmore Girls
RIP NYPD Blue
Wednesday
7p Lost
8p West Wing
also at 8p - Alias, but I'm a policy wonk and a Jimmy Smits fan
9p Law & Order (not as good w/o Jerry Orbach, but what can you do?)
Thursday
7p The O.C.
9p E.R.
Friday
Joan of Arcadia (when I'm not busy doin somethin)
Saturday
out to the movies
Sunday
9.3a This Week
10a Meet the Press
10.3a Ebert & Ropert
(I'm very bitter that NBC changed MTP's time and made it overlap with mi chavo's fav show)
11a Chris Matthews Show
7p Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (if not busy)
8p Desperate Housewives!
except of course, this week when everyone should be watching They're Eyes Were Watching G'd which is on instead of DH
Posted by cj at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)
March 02, 2005
Clarification: Beyonce Sucks Too. Viva Minnie Driver!
Blind Boy Grunt is chewing me a new one for not mentioning the over-exposure of Beyonce in my last post. To clarify, my last post was in honor of Jorge Drexler. Here's some more news you prolly didn't know about Sunday's tragic attempt at entertainment -
Gil Cates also refused to allow Minnie Driver to sing the song from "Phantom of the Opera" that she sang in the movie at the show. According to WENN and IMDB, Driver was devastated by the news because she considered the Oscar telecast her big break as a singer. (Apparently, according to reviews, she's rather good. I haven't heard her cd yet.)
May I also add that I was disgusted by the constant reaction shots of Jay Z whilst Beyonce over-exposed herself. Who the hell cares about them? If it was a music award show, it would make sense to focus on the singers in the audience. Between the two of them and P Diddy, you'd think we were all watching the Grammy's trying to appeal to a younger audience.
I was also disturbed by giving awards out in the aisles and forcing all nominees on stage for "lower quality" awards. Every single winner last night deserved their moment to shine - alone - on the stage. And I thought, for the most part, Chris Rock was funny. Didn't come out with the bang of past emcees, but did a good job. Strange that he would use the Gap and Banana Republic in his political analogy, since they're owned by the same frickin company. I thought the dresses were bland, that Hillary Swank's nipples were over-exposed, that Melanie Griffith should not be allowed to talk to anyone on the red carpet, that the lead singer of Counting Crows must take that ridiculous wig off his white head, that Scorcese deserves a lifetime achievement award but Eastwood directed a better movie and deserved the Oscar, that Sideways is completely over-rated, Vera Drake unfairly over-looked, and Kate Winslet looked bad. My apologies if you think my critiques are too catty and personal regarding the actresses mentioned.
Further reading:
IMDB News for Minnie Driver via Blind Boy Grunt
Posted by cj at 10:31 AM | Comments (1)
At What Point Are You Famous Enough to Perform Your Own Song?
Gil Cates, the producer who forced people to accept Oscars in the aisles because they weren't important enough to be on stage, decided that Jorge Drexler wasn't famous enough to perform the song he wrote and performed in "The Motorcycle Diaries" at the Academy Awards Show. Turns out, Drexler won the Oscar for "Al Otro Lado del Rio," and in protest sang the chorus as his acceptance speech.
Adding insult to injury, a greasy-haired Antonio Banderas sang the song off-key and attempted to add flamenco dancing (a Spanish musical style) to the Uruguayan song. Leticia Talmon, a Uruguayan interviewed by the Wall Street Journal said: "I laughed when I saw Antonio Banderas's flamenco version. That has nothing to do with the culture here."
Yesterday, Uruguay's largest-circulation newspaper, El Pais, included a six-page section devoted to Mr. Drexler. Also in Uruguayan news yesterday, they inaugurated their first socialist president ever.
further reading:
"Uruguay Is Asking Why the Oscars Snubbed Jorge Drexler: Antonio Banderas Got to Sing His Award-Winning Song: National Pride Is at Stake," by Katy McLaughlin with contributions from Vanessa Nichols in today's WSJ
"Viva Banderas! An Oscar-winning song served with extra cheese." by Dana Stevens in Slate
"A singing Protest; a tattoo promotion" Contributing: Hugo Espinoza, Maureen Ryan, Robert K. Elder, Tim Bannon. Sources: Tribune wire services, BBCMundo.com in today's Chicago Trib (includes why Jake Gyllenhaal looked beefy and bald)
Posted by cj at 10:06 AM | Comments (0)
March 01, 2005
Marshall Field's SOLD to the highest bidder
Chicago is all aflutter at the news that Federated bought May Co. Natives worry that it could mean the end of Marshall Field's, that for some reason Federated would destroy the brand and slap "Macy's" on the State St flagship store.
Here's the thing - there are exactly two things I like about Marshall Field's. One, the makeup counters (which are just as good, if not better in a Macy's.) Two, the boutique style apothecary, where you can buy smelly lotion and feel fancy pants about it. Quite frankly, I think it's over priced and they never have a real sale.
Macy's, on the other hand, is my bread and butter. They've got the best in-house labels (Alfani and I.N.C. being my favorites) and the absolute best sales. On my recent trip to Vegas, my rents saved over $600 and didn't even spend $200. Granted, that doesn't count the lingerie I bought myself, but even that was buy two get one free. For some reason, Chicagoans think Macy's is very NYC, but I always associate it with L.A., since that's where I grew up and grew to love Macy's....I dunno. Maybe I'm making too big a deal out of this. But I tell you, there's been more ink about this than most business transactions.
"What's in store for Field's? Federated purchases Chicago retail icon, may change name," by Susan Chandler with contributions by Brendan McCarthy. This was the big headliner in the Trib this morning.
"Federated bets on malls: $11 billion purchase of May Department Stores - and Field's," by Becky Yerak in the Trib
"The Overview: No Longer the Queens of the Mall, Department Stores Try Makeovers," by Tracie Rozhon in the NYT
Posted by cj at 12:42 PM | Comments (2)