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Journey - Don't Stop believing

I will continue to write about the same things. But perhaps more often. More efficiently, and more clearly. I will broaden the horizons as well. 

I hope my readers, like Demosthenes, will follow me to my new site, and new ones will discover it as well.

The site is now the title, which is much easier and is a much more credible title:

http://unbent.wordpress.com/

THE WORD is out. The jig is up. The worms are out of the can. The Wire, television’s best-kept secret, has just gone mainstream. First came two articles two days in a row, in last week's Guardian. The first was a worshipful piece on how the architecture of Baltimore was the real star of The Wire (bullshit; the story-telling and casting director are the real stars). The second was an interview with Dominic West, aka McNulty (pictured above), arguably one of the biggest stars of the show. In the interview, West revealed, amongst other things, that Zadie Smith had run up to him in the street and told him how much she loves the show. (Guess who’s looking for an ‘in’? The show is part-written by a crack team of David Simon, Ed Burns and a few novelists, including George Pelicanos).

Then came a reference in an Alan Moore interview (thanks Ruby), who said, “The absolute pinnacle of anything I’ve seen recently has got to be The Wire. It’s the most stunning piece of television that has ever come out of America, possibly the most stunning piece of television full-stop.”

I couldn’t agree more. Then, a few nights later, as I was passively sitting with one eye on Corrie, scouser Lloyd suddenly says, “it’s like The Wire round here, meeting on street corners.” When Corrie references something, you know you’re busted. The cat is officially out of the bag.

This weekend, I had to admit the game was finally up, as the papers gave blanket coverage to the show to mark the start of season 5 on FX (nice interview with Omar (pictured below) in the Guardian that reveals that scar is 100% real!).

For about four months now, I’ve been living in the demi-monde of Wire obsessives. A half world where conversation consists only of Wire-related topics, vocabulary incorporates phrases like “Aight” and “true dat” and everything is sieved through a Wire filter.

Last week, in Wire limbo and desperate for a fix, I hunted down some books by David Simon, the show’s creator. I had never been in the True Crime section before. I felt embarrassed. True Crime has its connotations. In my mind, it’s read by the same kind of people who buy those bumper crossword and wordteaser books that you find left behind in hospital waiting rooms. To add to my embarrassment, I couldn’t locate the bloody books. The man behind the desk told me they had Homicide and The Corner on the shelf, but the computer lied! With some detective work (see, it’s taking over my life), I located Homicide misfiled in the Crime section but couldn’t find The Corner. So I asked the girl. She looked downstairs in the storeroom. She looked upstairs in the overflow section. She looked back in the True Crime section, which I had already exhausted. I just looked bereft. She took my number and promised to locate a copy and ring me once she found it. True to her word, an hour later, I got the call. When I went in to pick up the book, I had the kind of heart-warming conversation that is a privilege of being a Wire fan. The man behind the customer service counter said he had never read any David Simon books before as he handed them over. Have you seen The Wire, I ventured? ‘Twice!’ he replied. I told him to shut up, as I haven’t seen all of Season 5 yet. You know there’s a new show starting in America that David Simon wrote, I say, thinking I’m the cool one with all the insider information. “Yes! Generation Kill! Started Tuesday night!” he replied. We smiled to ourselves, recognising fellow obsessives. We said goodbye awkwardly, feeling we had shared something and thus our departure should have been something other than formal and stilted.

For those of you lucky enough not yet to have seen The Wire, Channel 6 just started showing Season 1 (I think it’s just two episodes in) at 9.25 on Thursday nights. But be warned, you will end up spending more and more of your time (and eventually all of your time) thinking about the show, talking about the show, reading books that inspired the show and generally proclaiming your love for the show that is, possibly, the most stunning piece of television full-stop.

Oh, and a final word to the unconverted: It’s better than The Sopranos. Enjoy.

p.s. Just found this New Yorker profile of David Simon. Like I said, I'm obsessed.

For Santiago's previous missive on HBO, click here.

For Oliver Haberdasher's counterargument, click here.

I'm a huge movie buff. I wasn't always this way though. Up until two years ago, I didn't watch very many movies, eschewing them for SportsCenter re-runs and episodes of 1960's cop shows (don't ask). Though after I responded in the negative one too many times to the query "Hey have you seen _____?" I made it a point to watch as many films as I could.

One of the steps I took to catch up on my personal film viewing deficiency was to start watching a lot more HBO. HBO has always had the best and most diverse selection of movies of any network on television (plus 100% more nudity than the Disney Channel). As an added bonus, HBO had an impeccable lineup of original series, like "Deadwood," "The Sopranos," "Entourage," "Flight of the Conchords," and my personal favorite "The Wire."

However, of these series, only "Entourage" is still producing new episodes, so whatever allure HBO's impressive original series lineup may have had is largely gone by now. It's unclear if/when HBO will develop any quality new series to replace them. So now the worth of HBO is dictated almost entirely by the quality of the movies--and of course, the occasional mini-series--they acquire the rights to.

So let's examine some of the movies HBO is currently showing and see how they rate:

The Kingdom: Decent

Harry Potter 5: Good, if you're into that sort of thing

The Black Dahlia: Worst movie ever made

American Psycho: Trippy, but good

Ocean's Thirteen: Fun

Rush Hour III: Bleh

The Simpsons Movie: The truth

Boys Don't Cry: Hilary Swank's vagina

Beerfest: Meh

Blood Diamond: Solid, if a little preachy

It seems like there's about a 1:1 ratio of decent to abhorrent movies, with the occasional excellent flick thrown in there.

So even if HBO onDemand seems more like HBO "ehWhyNot" most times, it's still the number one choice in premium cable.

Though we'd recommend getting Netflix instead. But that's a whole 'nother debate.

Tem-se realizado, por estes dias, o habitual encontro, promovido pela Associação de Críticos de Televisão, entre a imprensa e as estações de televisão norte-americanas. Estes encontros são propícios à apresentação, por parte dos canais, das suas apostas a curto e médio prazo. É um resumo das principais novidades apresentadas pelas estações o que fazemos nesta série Projectos 2008/2009.

Primeiro as séries que a HBO tem em pré-produção e que conta estrear durante a próxima temporada, provavelmente no Verão de 2009. Uma comédia, com duração de meia hora, com o título Washingtonienne, baseada na blogger Jessica Cutler que escreveu sobre as suas aventuras sexuais com figuras políticas reais em Washington. A produção deverá arrancar no Outono e entre os produtores da série estará Sarah Jessica Parker.

Um novo drama está também a começar a ser trabalho por David Simon (criador de The Wire - A Escuta e da mini-série deste Verão na HBO Generation Kill). Chamar-se-à Treme e a sua principal temática serão as consequências do furacão Katrina.

Um outro drama, Boardwalk Express, do qual já tínhamos falado aqui, está também em desenvolvimento a pedido da HBO e, na sua equipa de produção, conta com nomes como os de Terence Winter (produtor executivo d'Os Sopranos), Martin Scorsese, Mark Wahlberg e Stephen Levinson (produtor executivo de Entourage - A Vedeta). O foco deste drama são os meandros do crime organizado em Atlantic City, nos anos 20.

Já para Setembro estão programadas as estreias da 5ª temporada de Entourage - A Vedeta e das novas True Blood e Little Britain USA. Por definir estão as estreias da novas temporadas de Em Tratamento, Big Love, Flight of the Conchords e Tell Me You Love Me. Confirmado está o regresso de Larry David e da sua Curb Your Enthusiasm - Calma Larry em 2009.

A HBO apresentou ainda as suas intenções fora da televisão, isto é o mesmo que dizer no cinema. Uma sequela do filme O Sexo e a Cidade e a continuação d'Os Sopranos no grande ecrã continua a ser hipóteses em cima da mesa. De fora está a possibilidade de haver um filme para televisão de Deadwood (que encerraria a trama).

Sabe-se que a HBO adquiriu ainda os direitos sobre o piloto Fat Sells, um drama familiar de uma hora passado no mundo da milionária industria dos suplementos alimentares. O argumento é de Gren Wells e a produção de Dave Broome e do galardoado Forest Whitaker.

A fechar aquela que deverá ser a cereja no topo do bolo para a HBO: a mini-série The Pacific, que deverá estrear no fim de 2009, principio de 2010, ambientada durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial e que tem como produtores executivos Steven Spielberg e Tom Hanks, que se haviam juntado anteriormente para a mini-série Irmãos de Armas.

HBO has always been at the forefront of the cable television industry, having aired groundbreaking shows such as The Sopranos and Sex in the City and they are continuing to push the boundaries with several new additions to their line-up of new shows.

The new shows feature a post-Katrina New Orleans drama from The Wire creator David Simon and a 1920s piece on the history of New Jersey by Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese.

Treme, the dramatic story of the aftermath of Katrina and the road to recovery once again teams Simon with The Wire consulting producer Eric Overnyer.  The two produced phenomenal work on The Wire, so fans can expect a grittiy, heartfelt look at the situation in New Orleans.

Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City marks Scorsese’s first foray into scripted television. HBO is hedging its bets with this production, partnering the legendary director with “Sorpanos” writer-producer Terrence Winters.

In addition to the two new shows, HBO announced that Big Love will return for another season, Chris Rock will do his fifth Stand-up show, and Larry David will do another season of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

I cannot understand a WORD they say.

It's that whole northen accent type thing. Maybe its because I very rarely venture outside of Texas (who needs to :) but I find accents and dialects from other parts of the country quite disturbing.

It just sounds very harsh to my ear. Everything sounds so angry. And fast.

Of course you could say the oposite about Southern accents. Everyone pretty much thinks they don't have one, but I think if I needed to I could disguise the fact that I'm from Texas easier than someone from say, Portland.

One of the hall directors and his wife are from Oregon (shout out to Beth) and they pronounce "bag" as "beg." This is quite humourous since a main street around campus is "Bagby."

But they don't think the have acents (even though they totally do.) Hmm. Thoughts?

"Doesn't look that worried about the loss, Fev. I don't like the look of that. Don't like it at all. You haven't done much. Haven't helped the side. You've had the loss. That guy there (Chris Judd) has busted his guts. And you are hugging the opposition. Oh well."

That's not Half Back Flanker bagging out Carlton full forward Brendan Fevola...we would be far more succinct with a few cuss words thrown in for good measure. Those statements belong to Channel Seven commentator Nathan Buckley, who was clearly unimpressed with the body language emanating from the Fev after St Kilda's vital win over the Blues last night.

The Saints needed to win this 'eight point' game in order to have some control over their finals destiny and they did just that in front of a good crowd at the MCG, not the Docklands as the ABC reported...though they did manage a decent crowd at the Dome as well! Those Catholics sure have a loyal fan base...wonder if they will all get on board with the Sydney Celtics in 2011?

Having won the 'eight-pointer', St Kilda sit one win and percentage above Carlton in eighth spot. The Blues still think they are a shot at September but not on last night's showing...plus they have the Doggies, Hawks and away games in Brisbane and Adelaide to come. Umm...nah!

But quickly back to Fevola - maybe he thinks that slapping your opponent around the head unnecessarily a few times is the type of action that warrants a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract. But nobody at Carlton or Sydney or anywhere else he is supposedly wanted, would agreee with him...unless he has the same agent as Andrew Bogut!

But with Carlton playing Sydney next Sunday - perhaps the winner can have the four points and the loser can overpay Fev for three years of occassional joy and chronic frustration! Sounds fair.

…

Here is a look ahead at the remaining games for The Eight Point Game round:

SATURDAY

With eight points on the line, expect to see a fast-paced contest between these two teams this afternoon!

MCG, Melbourne - 2:10pm (local): Collingwood v Adelaide (FOX)

• How Many Points Is This Game Worth? Big game! Fifth verses sixth, level on points and both chasing the Swans who sit six points ahead on the ladder …the loser can probably kiss a top four finish goodbye. And because it is so rare to win it all from outside the top four, flag hopes could be dashed for one of these clubs today. EIGHT POINTS!
• After beating up on the Swans, Collingwood are aiming for the top four...and a potential first round match against Geelong. How cool would that be!!!
• Is this the Magpies or the Sopranos...because uncle Tony is getting into trouble again!
• Adelaide are fired up about facing the Pies but then again, they said the same thing about the Geelong game...and guess how that turned out!
• But to have any hope of victory, the Crows need to find a high-scoring forward to spark them in attack. Wonder what Tony Modra is up to...
• It's round 15...did it really take this long for a sub-editor to break out the 'Bock and a hard place' headline pun?

…

Don't the Cats fans love beating Freo! Might be a bit cold for it though...

Skilled Stadium, Geelong - 2:10pm (local): Geelong v Fremantle (TEN)

• How Many Points Is This Game Worth? Win or lose, the Cats are either finishing first or second and looking the team to beat in September. Even if Freo caused a major upset, they would still suck for the next month. Barely worth playing at all. ONE POINT!
• To the surprise of no one, Nathan Ablett is back at Geelong and on the training track. But he's not going to play - it is all in preparation for 2009...honest!
• What the hell is wrong with Anthony Hudson? Bomber Thompson wins Geelong's first flag since before Huddo was alive...and only now can he bring himself to thank him?
• Fremantle are now looking at this year as 'short term pain for long term gain'...well, apart from two finals appearances, they have had a lot of pain since 1995. Any chance of some gain before the year 2025?
• The bell has tolled, or rung, or whatever bell-like sound you can think of, on the playing career of veteran Peter Bell. But he will probably stay involved in footy at the Dockers...or is it the Eagles?

…

Sorry Bomber fans...you won't see Hirdy in red and black or fluoro yellow any time soon!

Telstra Dome, Melbourne - 7:10pm (local): Essendon v Brisbane (TEN)

• How Many Points Is This Game Worth? Essendon won't win enough games for finals but have won too many for a priority draft pick - so it's more about team development for them. But the result is critical for Brisbane as they need to win on the road if they have any hope of catching the Swans in fourth spot. FIVE POINTS!
• Essendon will welcome back Henry Slattery - not only is he awake again but he's straight back in the team and ready to play! Just in time to fill the space in front of Jono Brown...oh crap!
• Didn't these guys retire a dozen or so times last year? Yep...but it seems that both Kevin Sheedy and James Hird can't keep away from Windy Hill. Haven't they got homes to go to?
• Leigh Matthews doesn't have a problem with players diving for free kicks...well, the fans don't necessarily agree with Leigh's point of view!
• Now that Michael Voss has snubbed the new Gold Coast franchise (and who could blame him!) and heading west to coach at the Eagles - how cool would it be if Vossy came back to be the next coach of Brisbane in 2011 and smash the GC17 in the first Queensland derby!

…

Chances of a repeat of last year's prelim final flogging? Hmm, not great.

• How Many Points Is This Game Worth? The Power have been out of the running for a few weeks but North are only half a game out of the eight...though they will still be outside if they win. But there has been no mention of the mythical 'Shinboner Spirit' this week, so the Roos can't be playing a mythical 'eight-pointer'! FOUR POINTS!
• There has been no 'home sweet home' for Port Adelaide as AAMI Stadium has not treated them well this year...maybe that's why they are looking elsewhere for some Carr insurance!
• Brett Ebert is about to sign a new deal at the Power...once it's done, hopefully the media can get photos of him holding an oversized novelty check above his oversized novelty head!
• Despite injuries, Port still have a decent midfield so North Melbourne really do need to improve in this area if they hope to win. Yes, that appears to mean you, Daniel Harris!
• Dumped Roo Shannon Grant dusts off the old apology script and gives it another run. The guy is so close to playing 300 games and has the rest of his life to play up on corporate golf days...what the hell is he doing?

...

SUNDAY

Will Spida Everitt take over as Sydney's biggest nutjob with Barry Hall out?

• How Many Points Is This Game Worth? A Hawthorn win probably ensures they finish in the top three and play all their finals games in Melbourne. A Sydney loss would mean either the Pies or Crows are only half a game behind them in fourth. It's still a big game but the real eight-pointers will be coming soon...for the Swans in particular! SIX POINTS!
• Brad Sewell will play for the Hawks after being in doubt due to having his appendix removed...you'd have thought that footy clubs would automatically rip them out of every rookie so this kind of thing doesn't happen! How unprofessional...
• Buddy Franklin reveals that he is frustrated at the amount of attention he receives from the public...well, perhaps you could try being a little less awesome!
• How well prepared will Sydney be for this match? Paul Roos has been very busy this week disciplining Barry Hall and not meeting Brendan Fevola.
• Speaking of Barry, it seems he is a little confused as to why he lashed out last weekend...well, don't ask any of us for clarification. We don't understand what's going on in your head either!

…

Things didn't go so well for Melbourne the last time they faced the Dogs!

Telstra Dome, Melbourne - 2:10pm (local): Western Bulldogs v Melbourne (SEVEN)

• How Many Points Is This Game Worth? Not that many. We think it's worth two so a Doggies win would make up for the draw with Richmond and could bring them level with either the Cats or Hawks in the later rounds. Two points would also be a nice incentive for Melbourne without endangering their chances of landing the best kid in the country at draft time. TWO POINTS!
• So, are the Doggies certainties to win? You can bet on it! We don't gamble that much but you'd have to think that is money in the bank...
• Um, why does every little piece of shit that falls from the mouth of Jason Akermanis become a 'story'? Shanghai...are you f*@$&#g kidding me?
• Melbourne are launching their 'Debt Demolition' this week as they attempt to save their club...fair to say it won't be the only demolition involving the Dees this week!
• It has been a tough year for the Demons but they can at least take heart in the performances of their youngsters...but any time they play and one of their guys doesn't almost die, it's a bonus!

…

A few flying high shots would certainly help Richmond's cause...

Subiaco, Perth - 2:40pm (local): West Coast v Richmond (FOX)

• How Many Points Is This Game Worth? Points are irrelevant to the Eagles at this stage but a win in the west would be an enormous boost for the Tigers who are stuck in 11th spot. But we will only give them three points and that gives them a better chance of just falling short of the finals in ninth spot...because that's how Richmond works!  THREE POINTS!
• Daniel Kerr has been named to play but is in doubt with 'footballer's knee'. Is that the term you use when a footballer gets spiked in the knee by a stingray?
• Any more off-field shenanigans at the Eagles and Adam Selwood is outta there! Whether this is an overreaction is up for debate...and the master of overreaction is having his two cents worth!
• No Matthew Richardson for Richmond - which not only sucks for them but for any fantasy football owners who have Richo in their team...as vice captain...in a competition with no emergencies! D'oh!!!
• Terry Wallace believes that Graham Polak could well make a full recovery from his brain injuries. Ummm, nup - can't take the piss out of this one! We hope that Polak does make a full recovery and plays for the Tigers again!

For a couple of seasons i was hooked to Sopranos.  I would religiously go over to a friends house on sunday night and about 9 of us would watch and talk about sopranos.  Well, we all knew this question would surface and here's the news from cinematical:

"Sorry we missed this earlier, but during that same press tour mentioned in the Sex and the City sequel post, Michael Lombardo (president of HBO's programming group) also said that HBO would be interested in a Sopranos film if David Chase is willing.

It's no surprise HBO is looking to head back to the land of organized crime, and of course they'd be behind a feature film based on The Sopranos -- especially after seeing the damage done by Sex and the City at the box office. But David Chase seems to have put this show behind him, and I personally think a feature film would be too much of a stretch. As is, the show gave us one of the best endings in the history of television -- don't go futzing that up just because you all want to make some more money. Let it go."

Personally, i don't think it had the best ending in history.  In fact, i didn't like it at all but granted, i'm sure a lot of people did.  I like closure though, and that ending donkey punched me so hard.  And with that, i agree.  I don't think there should be a Sopranos movie.  If anything maybe a movie on HBO, not in the theaters.  And although it would be cool to see the dark family on the big screen i just don't think it would work.  What would they talk about?  What would be the plot? It would probably have something to do with going green or something.  Add to that... didn't most of the cast die in the end?  What do you think gang, would you like to see Sopranos on the big screen?

I spoke to David Chase a month ago, and he said no. He said he thought about it, and he can't figure out a way to do it. So I don't think it will ever happen. I don't think you can ever say never, but my hunch is it won't happen.

Source: Orlando Sentinel

• 3 Soundtrack CDs
• 56-seitiges Buch
• 16-seitgen Episodenguide
• 16 "Lost Scenes"
• Interview mit Serienerfinder David Chase und weitere Interviews
• uvm.

Die gesamte Box, die wie ein Buch aufgemacht ist, wiegt rund 4,5kg. Preislich wird das Set so um die 280 US-Dollar liegen. Ob die Box auch als Blu-Ray Version veröffentlicht wird ist noch nicht bekannt, ebenso ob und wenn ja wann, es die  komplette Serie auch in Deutschland zu kaufen gibt. Sobald es dazu Informationen gibt werdet ihr es hier erfahren. Ein Review zur Serie ist ebenfalls in Arbeit.

The Sopranos menceritakan tentang kehidupan sebuah keluarga gembong mafia asal Italia di Amerika. Kalau sudah pernah menonton film layar lebar trilogy The Godfather, nah kurang lebih karakter ceritanya mirip2 seperti itulah. Gangster abis deh pokoknya. Bisnis kotor, suap, perebutan kekuasaan, seks, pembunuhan, keluarga dan pasta. :D

Tapi mungkin karena The Sopranos itu sebuah film seri yang dibuat hingga 6 season, kesannya lebih mendalam dan perasaan kita jadi lebih dekat dengan tokoh2nya. Lebih menohok sampai ke jantung istilahnya.

Oke, saya tak hendak menceritakan The Sopranos secara lebih detail. Kalau ingin menonton, silakan berlangganan televisi berbayar atau beli DVD-nya. Dijamin tidak rugi.

Saya selalu ingat film The Sopranos ketika membaca berita2 yang makin mengungkap tingkah polah seorang anggota DPR yang tertangkap tangan menerima suap beberapa waktu yang lalu. Saya membayangkan, sedikit banyak ada hal2 yang bisa dihubungkan antara kelakuan si anggota DPR ini dengan tokoh2 mafia dalam film ini.

Mari dikupas satu per satu. Yuuukk...

Bisnis kotor. Mafia atau gangster selalu identik dengan bisnis kotor atau cuci uang. Tony Soprano (tokoh utamanya) mempunyai beberapa legalized business sekaligus menjadi tempat untuk memutar uang hasil kejahatannya dari perampasan dan pemerasan.

Si anggota DPR ini mungkin tidak punya pub penari telanjang, tapi menggunakan jabatan untuk mendapatkan uang mestinya termasuk bisnis yang kotor juga. Bisa jadi si anggota DPR ini punya usaha sampingan yang dibiayai dari hasil penyalahgunaan kekuasaan dia juga, kan? 

Suap. Penyuapan atau bribery terhadap aparat pemerintah sering dipertontonkan dalam film2 bertema mafia. Untuk menjalankan dan memperlancar bisnis mereka, para gangster itu mau tidak mau harus berusaha menyuap aparat.

Nah, untuk kasus si anggota DPR ini, dialah yang menjadi pihak yang disuap tersebut. Dan kelihatannya si anggota DPR ini sudah cukup berpengalaman dalam hal suap-menyuap. Terbukti dari kutipan percakapan yang disadap oleh KPK, si anggota DPR fasih sekali melakukan tawar menawar jumlah "uang saku" yang ingin dia terima.

Perebutan kekuasaan. Gangster itu ibarat kerajaan2 dengan pasukan perang yang saling menaklukan kerajaan lain. Tak terkecuali dengan keluarga Soprano. Untuk menjadi yang terkuat di antara keluarga2 mafia yang ada, satu keluarga harus merebut kekuasaan dari keluarga yang lain. 

Di negeri kita, menjadi anggota DPR itu berarti memegang kekuasaan. Saya bisa bayangkan ada sekian banyak proyek pembangunan bernilai trilyunan dan mungkin sebagian besar proyek tersebut harus menganggarkan dana sekian persen untuk upeti kepada para anggota Dewan yang terhormat ataupun pejabat pemerintah. Dan itu mestinya sudah dikapling2 atau bagi2 jatah. Artinya, mungkin terjadi perebutan jatah proyek antar anggota DPR atau pejabat pemerintah. Si anggota DPR yang tertangkap itu salah satu contohnya.

Seks. Hohoho, kalau yang ini kelihatannya tidak bisa dipisahkan dengan kekuasaan dan uang. Dalam The Sopranos, masing2 anggota ganster yang sudah menikah, biasanya mempunyai perempuan simpanan yang disebut sebagai goomah.

Pada kasus si anggota DPR ini, selain istri yang cantik dan penyanyi dangdut tenar, masih ada perempuan2 yang siap menemani kalau ada kunjungan kerja ke daerah2 atau proyek2. Atau mungkin kita masih ingat kasus terbongkarnya hubungan gelap salah seorang anggota DPR yang lain dengan seorang wanita gara2 video mesumnya beredar di internet.

Kesimpulannya, menyaksikan kelakuan para pejabat sekarang menjadi seolah2 menonton film The Sopranos. Eh, apa terbalik ya...? :D

No me importa que me quieras...

quiero que me respetes...

Tony Soprano / The Sopranos

Wallpaper de The Sopranos: Descarga

It might be quite late to review this great TV show, but I just finished watching the entire six seasons on my laptop and had the urge to review his masterpiece.
Summery: the show revolves around the life of Tony Soprano the head of organized crime family who suffers emotional disorders and occasional blackouts. He then seeks a physiatrist who tries to analyses him and find out why these blackouts occur. The story line takes you to a deep dark aspect of his emotional life, and the life of underground well known modern mafia lifestyle.
Why to watch: The show is original, very real, and the acting is just mind-blowing. The drama is so intense you sometimes feel it’s realistic and forget that these characters are even fictional. The show is full of moral conflict among the life Tony Soprano’s life as a mafia boss and his life as a father of a disturbed teenage boy and a collage girl who is seeking her own independence away form her family.
The show is full of violence and mafia related crime action that is so real you might turn your head away the screen to avoid the pool of blood ( or just keep watching and reply * wink, wink* ). Oh yeah, there is a lot of killing in the show, and the show creator have chosen to use no thematic music in the show like other show to add more realism to the story. Nonetheless, there is a wide selection of songs in the show that were selected carefully by the producer as a parallel symbolic story line that compliment the main plot.
The direction of the show is very creative and realistic, and some time very intense full of psychological paths and layers. The sexual content of the show is quite intense too, and it’s really rated for 21+ viewers.
I’ll not talk about the plot line of the seasons since I don’t like to spoil the fun, but I may say that the evolution of the story is unpredictable, even the ending was never predicted by fans. In fact, the ending of the Sopranos is talked-about ending, where we waited for some REAL ending of the story, but the director have chosen an open ending, a scene-cut, with no introductions, you even would think that there is something wrong with your DVD player or TV set.
After watching the show, you come to the realization that there is no wonder that this show lays on the top of Drama ranked TV shows on history.

watch the last scene from here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnT7nYbCSvM&feature=related

Stayed home and read a couple of books. Watched Frasier, Season 4, on the big TV. Watched The Sopranos on my itty-bitty iPod.

Remember The Sopranos? It was a comedy from way back when about a beleaguered Community Organizer trying to juggle his work and domestic responsibilities. Married, With Wise Guys.

In this still, we see James Gandolfini wincing with inner pain as he ponders how TV executives, seeking to duplicate the success of The Sopranos, will ignore everything good about it -- the acting, the dialogue, the humor, the pacing -- but will take all the obscenity, violence and nudity and come up with unwatchables like Deadwood, Rome and The Wire.

Next up: a review of Wanted. Just kidding. Not going to see that one either.

Sometimes you might find yourself relating to a character you don't particular like though, because it relates to a darker side of your personality.

I've been watching Six Feet Under on DVD and am about halfway through season two. I got the series because when it was on TV it was always on way too late at night, and if I ever happened to flick past, it always seemed too boring. But HBO had developed themselves a good enough reputation as great writers in my mind, thanks to the Sopranos, another show that was subject to the graveyard timeslot. I don't blame the TV networks for giving the better shows bad timeslots, I blame Australian viewers for watching shit.

The second thing that made me buy the show was that Michael C. Hall is in it. I had just finished watching the first season of Dexter on DVD, and needed something new to fill my TV time, and I don't want to settle for second-rate crap like CSI or Dancing with the Stars. No offence if you like those shows.

Or maybe some offence intended.

At first I watched hoping that Michael C. Hall's character would be the one I liked, kind of like a Dexter in another series. How wrong I was! I like the character, but as far as relating to him... well, I don't see much of myself in him at all. Uptight, quiet, walks on eggshells most of the time. His brother's character Nate however, is much better. I wouldn't say I see myself in him, but I love the way he doesn't hesitate to tell people to get fucked.

The character I find myself in however, is an unfortunate one. I see the darker side of myself in Brenda.

This is kind of hard to explain if you never watched the show, but she's not the kind of person you want to be. I'm not anywhere near as messed up as she is, I don't even consider myself messed up, but there are sometimes a few things she says that hits to the core. One line from a recent episode I watched being:

"Like you? Like me? No, Mom, he's not like us. He doesn't think so hard he wants to put a staple gun to his forehead."

I'm not saying I'm super-smart. I'm saying sometimes I think way too hard, over-analyse way too much and it never results in anything good. I'm happiest when I'm not over-thinking about crap. It gets me nowhere.

The problem is, I'm not at uni at the moment so I have a little too much spare time to my own thoughts. Which is probably why, even though I should be having the time of my life right now, I can't seem to have anywhere near as much of a good time as I could when I was still at uni, even though I was stressing about assignments and tests. I think I need the pressure! I need a lot of responsibilities, why else would I do a blog on top of all the other stuff I have to do?

It makes sense when you consider this graph:

I saw this graph in a book I read once. Essentially it means that if you're under-stressed you get bugger all done, and if you're overstressed you get bugger all done. I'm currently under-stressed and I hate it. I'd rather be overstressed.

Oh well, I only need to keep myself occupied until Thursday, then its Thailand time! When I'm there I'll hopefully get some interesting photos to post on here to coincide with some interesting (perhaps sordid) tales.

http://thisdevilsworkday.wordpress.com/

Did I mention all of this can be yours for the one time fee of $399? I can't decide if that is too much to pay for a TV show. Let me think about it...one month of groceries or "The Sopranos"? A car payment or "The Sopranos"? The Gross Domestic Product of North Korea or "The Sopranos"?

Cinematically Correct note: The set comes out on November 11th. This in no way makes this an ideal birthday present for anyone of note.

FINAL SOPRANOS DVD GIFT SET DUE OUT NOV. 11

The complete collection of The Sopranos is due out on DVD this coming November. That's just in time for the holiday gift season.

The Sopranos "gift set" is being touted as the ultimate Sopranos experience. The boxed set weighs 10 pounds! It contains all 86 episodes of the long-running HBO series on 28 DVDs along with three CDs of music.

Unfortunately the price for the complete boxed set is the highest in television history. Suggested retail price is $399.99.

Holy crap! That's like four tanks of gas.

Most people who know Italian Americans know that they are fine people.  Discrimination against Italian Americans is based almost always on perceptions that have accumulated over many decades and which have been disseminated through mass media, which has contributed to a subtle form of mass hysteria.  Discrimination against Italian Americans is more art than science since most people really aren't sure why they may be tempted to discriminate or even know when they are discriminating.   At this point in history, it just seems like it's time for a review, to see where we've been and where we're going as a community and as a nation.  As a freedom-loving nation, how can we be free from discrimination if we do not have this discussion?  Do we want to be free from discrimination?  Do we have an Oedipus complex with discrimination, where we subvert freedom in favor of discrimination?  How can we ever be a truly free people if we don't fight discrimination in all its forms?

It's unfortunate that Italian Americans live under a shadow of misperceptions that act like a tape worm in the American national psyche. It's hard to remove this bugger without it breaking off and growing back. It feeds on fear and misinformation but most of all it gets its nourishment from feeding on silence. Speaking up is the best way to starve this worm to death.  As Mr. Patrick Henry once said, "Give me Liberty or give me Death."  Free us from the tape worm of discrimination or death of our humanity will be our permanent reality.

I really do believe that stereotyping and discrimination against Italian Americans is a problem and that it doesn't seem to be getting any better. I think we are going to see spasms of discrimination as the Obama campaign moves through to the general election. This might be a good time to start facing down some of these issues. You can see a press release that the Commission for Social Justice of the Sons of Italy put out on the disparaging remarks made by NBC sportscaster about Rocco Mediate by going to my blog: http://cronacaman.wordpress.com/2008/06/19/italian-american-anti-defamation-group-demands-suspension-of-nbc-sportscaster-johnny-miller/

If you want to see what some people call humor or comedy, take a look at this video on YouTube called "Family Guy Speaks Italian": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JhuOicPFZY.  One of the comments posted in response to a protest of this video at this link is "BOOOOO. IT'S JUST COMEDY, YOU MORON."  I disagree. It seems harmless but it's nothing less than racism masquerading as a cartoon, the most insidious form of racism and discrimination there is.  It reminds me of the Camel Joe cigarette ads.  They're meant to seduce young people into thinking that cigarettes are cool and grown-up.  But we know that cigarettes are addictive and deadly. 

If you would like to see my review of a video of a conference on discrimination against Italian Americans held at Seton Hall University in New Jersey in December 2004 called "Anti-Italianism: Discrimination and Defamation in the History of Italian Americans",  visit this link at Amazon.com: 

http://www.amazon.com/Anti-Italianism-Discrimination-Defamation-History-Americans/dp/B000CR5EFC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1214153039&sr=8-2

My proposal for such a conference would be based on something similar to what Lawrence DiStasi and the American Italian Historical Association, Western Chapter recently did with its conference on Central Valley agriculture. This conference might strike a theme like: Is everything right with Italian Americans in the American landscape? or How far have we come since nonni arrived in America? This would give people a chance to speak out and express in what ways they face discrimination or have noticed discrimination. Italian Americans also  discriminate themselves and a conference of this nature might just as much be a mirror for Italian Americans to look at themselves and seek some behavior modifications.  I don't think that Italian Americans have come to terms with their true standing in American society. It's a community that continues to struggle against barriers of acceptance in America.

Some of the "elephant in the room" topics that might be discussed at such a conference could include:

-A segment on the portrayal of Italians in the movies, in print, in law enforcement.

-How is the younger generation dealing with the fallout from the Sopranos? What is their experience in a post-Sopranos world?  How many see "The Sopranos" as an identity for Italian American heritage and culture?

-What forms of discrimination take place, for example, in the job search process and what obstacles exist in the workplace, such as promotions? What about political campaigns? Why does the bias persist?

-What other forms of discrimination do men and women of Italian heritage experience? Do Italian American women discriminate against Italian American men in the workplace and vice versa?

-Discuss the image of Italian names from the point of view of market research, such as word association surveys.

-What can people do to minimize being victims of stereotyping and prejudice?

-How much has changed since our grandparents immigrated to America?

-Are Italian Americans too tolerant of ethnic slurs and discrimination against Italian Americans?

-How significant of a role do North-South origins play in bias between Italian Americans?

-Do Italian Americans need a "Garibaldi" figure to free them from "Village Idiot" syndrome?

-What progress have Italian Americans made as a group?

-Is it possible to settle on a single unified Italian American identity?

-What effects do "discrimination through the act of being ignored" have on Italian American self-esteem?

-Is there a glass-ceiling for Italian Americans?

I'm sure there are many other topics that could be discussed. Questions such as How are Italian Americans perceived? Why are they perceived the way they are? What's the image of Italian Americans in America? How can this be overcome?

We could probably show the Heather Hartley documentary called "Linciati", which is about the lynching of Italians in New Orleans in 1893, or the latest documentary by Peter Miller on Sacco and Vanzetti. We could have a discussion on Italian American literature, like "Christ in Concrete", that describes one face of discrimination faced by Italian Americans. This would be an exploration on the roots of discrimination against Italian Americans. This would be a good chance for people to talk about this taboo subject without feeling like they are alone.

I'm sure there are many people who are feeling conflicted over this issue. Bias against Italian Americans is like a stench that hangs in the air. You think you can smell something but you're not sure if that's what it is. Or do we think we are we just imagining this?

I think we need to get people together and compare notes once and for all and calibrate just where Italian Americans really stand in America. How much progress have we really made since nonno and nonna left the Old Country? One of the important things about a conference on discrimination is that people should recognize when they see and hear comments that are discriminatory.  It's not okay to accept it. It's vulgar and demeaning and it takes many forms.  My idea for such a conference is to educate and raise awareness of the forms that discrimination takes. It's also meant to strike down any myths that may actually be out there.  And I think an academic forum is the only way to give credibility to the discussion of such a sensitive topic. It needs to be done in a tasteful way without looking like someone has an ax to grind.  This is a dialog that America, not just Italian America, needs to have in order for it to continue to grow and to be all that it can be as a nation that has been blessed with the type of Constitution that we have.  Destroy the tape worm before it destroys us, the United States of America, which was built on the backs of people from all over the world, especially Italian Americans.

Until we face this issue head on, I think the "Invisible Hand of Adam Smith" will hold Italian Americans back from achieving their true potential.  As Lawrence DiStasi taught us with his superb book "Una Storia Segreta", the best lesson ever:  Keep No Secrets.

i thought the first few episodes were some of the best tv i'd seen in a while.  right up there with the sopranos and six feet under.  the dude that plays dexter also happens to be in six feet under.  he's really good.

after the first few episodes i thought it kinda dropped off a little.  i think they got too concerned with developing the relationship between dexter and the ice truck killer and forgot about all the things that made the first few episodes so good and interesting.

but, nonetheless, i kept watching.  which i guess is what they want when they make a series.  they want to get you from one episode to the next.  but i think if i had been watching it week by week they would have lost me after week four.

but as it is, i was watching on dvd and could watch a few episodes at a time which made it easier for me to sit through the weaker episodes and keep moving on.

i don't know if i'd buy the dvd set unless i could get it in the fifteen to twenty buck range, but it's pretty good to have in the collection.  people like it.  and it's cool to be able to break out if someone has heard about it but never seen it.

i'm sure i'll watch season two and three.  on my cable systems ondemand. 

USA’s Love for Ancient Rome. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times: "We like stories of Rome, I think, because in spite of the intervening centuries we can recognize ourselves there: a technologically superior mercantile and military superpower pressing an enormous thumb upon the Western world, its bustling cities full of bars and restaurants and hot-drink shops and theaters. Positively Dickensian in the way it trains an eye on both the powerful and the poor, Rome [the HBO BBC Tv Series] wants us to see the present in the past — offering cocktail parties, rich girls smoking hemp ("I brought back two sacks from Macedonia sooooo much better than the Italian kind"), a criminals' den that looks like nothing so much as a 1st century BC [The Sopranos’] Bada Bing.”

Read here the entire review by Robert Lloyd.
Above, an image from Rome's set, at Rome Cinecittà studios: source.

The German slave. Getting back to a typical Sex and the city (of Rome) topic, I read in a blog that a US high school teacher used to describe Ancient Rome's history as a sequence of sex, battle, sex, battle, which seems a little bit too limited a view to me. In any case, for you (now disappointed and bored) sex weirdos, a brief quote from the Boston Globe that will make you happy:

“Take, for instance, this cozy domestic scene in the 'Rome' première. It's the morning of Caesar's funeral, and the ever-lusty Mark Antony (James Purefoy ) refuses to get out of bed unless Atia (Polly Walker, see smal picture above), dressed in her funeral garb, agrees to have sex. Impatient and unsure of her social status now that her uncle Caesar is gone, Atia coldly refuses him. Ever practical, though, she then barks an order at her slaves: 'Fetch that German slut from the kitchen'. "
Read the entire review by Matthew Gilbert.

Funny, although a bit on the masculist side, this comment from one of Rome series fans: “Oh, would that we all had these convenient German sluts around. But, you know, now they're all union and hard to keep on staff”.

Watch now this trailer from the TV series regarding Roman different moral code (which is not to be seen by minors, who are thus warned).

Spanish Cousins Success. “One secret of Spain’s success has been its links to Latin America – an excellent testing ground for Spanish foreign investment and a useful source of Spanish-speaking immigrants.
Spain’s immigration policy has been more liberal than in most European countries, adding some 4m to the 40m population in the past decade. Those from Latin America, in particular, have proved swift to integrate. The proportion of children from mixed marriages increased from 1.8 per cent in 1995 to 11.5 per cent in 2005.”
Read the entire Ftimes article.