Fletch DVD out tomorrow

One of my favorite movies, if not favorite comedy, is Fletch. It's a Chevy Chase vehicle from 1985, in which he plays an investigative reporter trying to get to the bottom of a case involving police corruption, bigamy, and drug-running. I know it sounds very dark, but it's actually a hillarious, light-hearted comedy caper. It's also one of the funniest films I've ever seen; basically every line uttered by Chevy oozes with sharp-edged wit.

After being out of print for quite awhile, the fine folks at Universal are releasing a special edition DVD tomorrow, entitled "Fletch: The Jane Doe Edition". I don't know if the extras are any good, but I'm not buying it for the extras. Just being able to have this fine film, available to watch any time I please on DVD, is reason enough to buy. This and "Private Parts" are two movies guarenteed to put a smile on my face, no matter how shitty I feel.

It's coming out tomorrow, I hope Target has it, and you should keep an eye out for it too if you appreciate side-splitting comedy. In the meantime, here is one of my favorite clips from the film:

Beam Me Up, Scotty.

This is a nice story. After some complications, the ashes of longtime "Star Trek" cast member James Doohan (Scotty) were shot into space the other day. After never having watched the series, I finally started renting the DVD's last year and can say that I regret not getting into it sooner. I saw the newer Treks, mostly TNG but also some DS9 and Voyager. But I think I can say that out of all of them, I've enjoyed the original series the most. One of the reasons for that was Scotty, his character and dry sense of humor definitely aided in the greatness of the original Trek.

Read more about it here: http://www.imdb.com/news/wenn/2007-04-30/#celeb1

Coming Soon

Coming very soon to the blog will be a movie review (of the Christian Bale film I saw yesterday, "Harsh Times") and my observations on the upcoming presidential election, as well as a post on one of my loves, classic gaming (or retrogaming). This is just an awesome experience, I love having an outlet to post all of my observations, likes, dislikes, and so forth. Please visit and leave your comments, it'll show that you care, lol.

Thanks,

Jeff

New "24" tonight

Very few people don't know this, but my favorite show (possibly ever) is "24" on Fox. I have been with the show since the beginning (fall 2001), when the ratings were so low I didn't know if it'd be on the following week, especially considering how trigger-happy Fox is with pulling new shows that don't come strong right out of the gate ("Drive" is just the latest example of this). I will go on (and on) with my "24" obsession some other time but I just wanted to tell you that there is going to be a new episode tonight. In the last episode, we found out that Audrey was possibly lobomotized and Bill was forced to resign as head of CTU. I loved how Karen told him that she had to distance herself from Bill, and Bill replied "I'm your husband." And what was up with that meet between Jack and Cheng? First, Cheng comes to the meeting with a limo (try to make it a little more high-profile next time, Cheng, eh) and when CTU comes, we see three Hummers coming out of nowhere to wisk Cheng away into the mountains.

Anyway, go to www.tv.com, there's a sneak preview of tonight's show. There's apparently a mole (again?) in CTU. Only four more episodes left this season. So watch 24 on Fox tonight at 9 PM...for the good of the country.

EU-U.S. summit to call for "urgent" climate action

I told you I would continue to keep you posted on global warming news, and I am keeping that promise. There is a summit today between the U.S. and the European Union, in which it will be agreed upon that urgent action needs to be taken on global warming. Eh, my feelings are that as long as Bush is in office, no significant action will be taken on this impending crisis. In any case, at this point, we need action, not just gestures and "agreements" at summits.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070430/ts_nm/usa_eu_dc

My Myspace Page is being Sponsored too! :)

Just as my blog has just been sponsored by Southwest Airlines, My Myspace page is being sponsored as well, by GEICO Insurance. I honestly didn't have a high opinion of GEICO's ads, they were always with that unfunny gecko or the celebrities hanging out with regular people, who talked about how great GEICO were (those weren't that bad, I love the one with Verne Troyer; he's Mini-Me from the "Austin Powers" movies). But I'm getting off track. GEICO struck gold with the cavemen. Those guys are great, and they even might have a show on this fall. There's a world of difference between being funny for 30 seconds and being funny for 30 minutes, but I hope they pull it off. Anyway, here's their first commercial, and again, I salute GEICO for sponsoring my Myspace page, which you can find at www.myspace.com/jeffblanch.

My Blog is Now Sponsored by Southwest Airlines!

Every now and then, I'm going to try to have an official sponsor for this blog. If I see a company do something particularly witty or creative, I will let you know of it and post it on this blog. This week, it's Southwest Airlines. I guess this commercial didn't make it out of testing, or only aired in certain parts of the country. Which is too bad, since it's a great ad and shows footage of one of my favorite programs, "To Catch a Predator"

Save Raines

A show that has come across my radar in only the past month, and has quickly gone on to be one of my favorites, is "Raines" on NBC. "Raines" is a cop show about a veteran homicide detective (wonderfully played by Jeff Goldblum) who suffers hallunications and sees dead people. Some people are saying this is a ripoff of Medium (which I've never seen) or The Sixth Sense. I, myself, thought from the commercials that it was basically "House with a badge". But I couldn't have been more wrong. This is a deep, dark, wonderfully intellectual drama with a colorful supporting cast and a great anchor in the form of Goldblum.

Unfortunately, "Raines" has only been doing so-so in its timeslot (Fridays at 9), due to the chokehold CBS has on the night. Friday is such a shitty night for TV anyway, and "Raines" deserves better.

See the show for yourself at http://www.nbc.com/Video/rewind/full_episodes/raines.shtml. If you like it (or better yet, love it), there are a few things you can do to persuade NBC to give this an order for new episodes in the fall. There is an online petition you can sign (http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/raines#sign). Then, you can write NBC at this address:
NBC Studios
3000 W. Alameda Ave.
Burbank, CA 91523

I am trying to find a phone number, but so far, no luck. Finally, go to this link to email NBC: http://www.nbc.com/Footer/Contact_Us/.

Again, this is a wonderful show that is very worthy of your time. And we can certainly use good TV nowadays. If NBC can give full-season orders to Studio 60 (which sucked, sorry Aaron) or to Friday Night Lights (more people watch the fish tank at my local pet store than this show), they can certainly give one to a great newcomer like "Raines". So what are you waiting for? Watch an episode!

Update (May 30, 10:47 AM): A good customer at my store just happens to work for NBC, she's been there for 40 years. While primarily in the news division, she also has some friends in the entertainment department and told me that she would drop the good word about "Raines" for me. I only regret forgetting to get a phone number at where I could reach NBC's entertainment department. If anyone can find one and send it to me at jblanch3@optonline.net, I'll post it on the blog.

To Catch A Predator

First thing, I have to admit (or perhaps confess) my obsession with Dateline NBC's "To Catch A Predator" (TCAP). For those who don't know, TCAP is an ongoing news series in which a correspondent for Dateline, Chris Hansen, works with an organization called "Perverted Justice" whose sole reason for being is to catch online pedophiles and bring them to justice. With the cooperation of local police, PJ poses as underage boys and girls (typically around 13 or 14) who are online. Grown men IM or email these screen names (who they believe are 13 or 14) and post sexually explicit messages, might send pornographic pictures (of their gentials, for example) and suggest a meeting with the "child." After agreeing, and setting a place and time, the pedophile comes to the house, only to be met by Hansen. Hansen, with a copy of the chat log, asks them questions on why they're there. The predators, as most of them are wont to do, try to make up some bullshit (they're just there to hang out, for example). But Hansen reads direct quotes by these men from the chat log. Much hilairty ensures (from me anyway) as these guys scurry like deer in the headlights, only to be brought down by the police waiting outside.

Now, I'm no law-and-order type who glorifies everything law enforcement; I'm very critical of the police and the legal system. But when it comes to anyone willfully attempting to endanger a child, and ready to commit an action that will scar that kid forever, bring on the men in blue.

I just didn't decide to comment tonight on the show. An hour ago, I saw the show "America's Most Wanted" attempt to ape TCAP's formula. I guess the fact that some of these guys were taken off the streets made it by itself worthwhile. But what makes TCAP great is that Hansen almost comes off as a friend to these guys. He is very calm and cordial, and makes an effort to get into these guys' heads. He only makes a wiseass quip when someone tries to tell a particularly tall tale. But John Walsh, the host of AMW, picked the worst possible way to do it. As soon as the guy enters the house, he comes right out and just starts getting into his face. He was totally belligerent, and what's even worse, the cops are cuffing the guy as he's yelling at him. The guy's not gonna say anything to you if he already knows he's under arrest and in legal trouble! On top of that, you're not dealing with run-of-the-mill criminals. These guys are sick. Did Walsh think that yelling at them was going to make them regret what they did and repent their actions?

TCAP is both entertaining and informative. Tonight, AMW was neither, and it really showed me that John Walsh is one of the most obnoxious guys on television. I saw his show from the beginning, and while it was obvious he was new to television, he had a straight-shooting, sensible style that worked to the show's advantage. Ever since he started strutting around in his leather jacket, trying to look like a bad-ass & calling everyone he profiles names like "scumbag" or "creep", the quality of the show has gone down the tubes.

Welcome to the launch of my new blog (again)

Hi everyone,

I know I launched this months ago as a global warming blog, and as a site for updates on the rally I was planning to hold nearly a month ago. Due to my busy schedule, I wasn't able to post regularly and I had to also cancel the rally. But due to recent events and a new-found need to blog my feelings and opinions to the world (it'll more likely be that some Indian guy in his 30's will be the only one who reads my blog regularly, if that), I am hoping to make this my own personal blog. I still want to post about global warming and the wider world of politics, but that probably won't be too frequent. I'm a "retired" political activist who has no plans to jump back into the fray. This is more my soapbox, and I also hope to give my opinion on a wide range of issues, as well as keep you abreast of what I'm doing or watching. I want to give more details about me personally, but that'll have to wait, as I have a movie to watch. That's also another thing you'll be seeing, a lot of movie reviews. But let me post a few blogs really quick, before I get to that.

Enjoy!

Jeff

Highway to Extinction

Hi,

I realize now it's been a month since I posted. I really didn't realize it was that long, I'm truly sorry. Anyway, unfortunately, for those who haven't heard, I had to cancel the Step It Up event being planned for April 14 in Patchogue. To make a long story short, the property I was planning to hold it on is owned by North Fork Bank, and they weren't willing to grant me its use for a few hours. It was liability or some such bullshit. It was such an ideal location, that I knew any other one wouldn't be able to compare in terms of visibility or outreach. Combine that with my busy schedule, and it wasn't practical. Thankfully, there are quite a few events being held on that day, one in Sayville. Go to www.stepitup.org.

Also, I found this article on MSN. Yes, yet another dire report released by experts on global warming. Pretty deep reading here, except for the last paragraph which is almost laughable and said by someone who you'd think would know better. This person, an oceanographer, says that the worst-case scenarios outlined in the report can't possibly happen because mankind "cannot be that stupid." We can't??? Albert Einstein once said, "there are two infinite things, the universe and man's stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." If we have proven one thing throughout our history, it's that we can be very ignorant and very stupid. There is no topic too important or consequential. Making important strides in tackling global warming will be very difficult, if only because most of us are unwilling to give up our creature comforts.

Climate report: ‘Highway to extinction’

Dire predictions includes loss of species, increasing scarcity of water

The Associated Press

Updated: 7:43 a.m. ET April 1, 2007

WASHINGTON - A key element of the second major report on climate change being released Friday in Belgium is a chart that maps out the effects of global warming with every degree of temperature rise, most of them bad.

There’s one bright spot: A minimal heat rise means more food production in northern regions of the world.

However, the number of species going extinct rises with the heat, as does the number of people who may starve, or face water shortages, or floods, according to the projections in the draft report obtained by The Associated Press

Some scientists are calling this degree-by-degree projection a “highway to extinction.”

It’s likely to be the source of sharp closed-door debate, some scientists say, along with a multitude of other issues in the 20-chapter draft report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. While the wording in the draft is almost guaranteed to change at this week’s meeting in Brussels, several scientists say the focus won’t.

The final document will be the product of a United Nations network of 2,000 scientists as authors and reviewers, along with representatives of more than 120 governments as last-minute editors. It will be the second of a four-volume authoritative assessment of Earth’s climate released this year. The last such effort was in 2001.

University of Victoria climate scientist Andrew Weaver said the chart of results from various temperature levels is “a highway to extinction, but on this highway there are many turnoffs. This is showing you where the road is heading. The road is heading toward extinction.”

Weaver is one of the lead authors of the first report, issued in February.

While humanity will survive, hundreds of millions, maybe billions of people may not, according to the chart—if the worst scenarios happens.

‘Major extinctions around the globe’
The report says global warming has already degraded conditions for many species, coastal areas and poor people. With a more than 90 percent level of confidence, the scientists in the draft report say man-made global warming “over the last three decades has had a discernible influence on many physical and biological systems.”

But as the world’s average temperature warms from 1990 levels, the projections get more dire. Add 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit -- 1 degree Celsius is the calculation scientists use—and between 400 million and 1.7 billion extra people can’t get enough water, some infectious diseases and allergenic pollens rise, and some amphibians go extinct. But the world’s food supply, especially in northern areas, could increase. That’s the likely outcome around 2020, according to the draft.

Add another 1.8 degrees and as many as 2 billion people could be without water and about 20 percent to 30 percent of the world’s species near extinction. Also, more people start dying because of malnutrition, disease, heat waves, floods and droughts—all caused by global warming. That would happen around 2050, depending on the level of greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels.

At the extreme end of the projections, a 7- to 9-degree average temperature increase, the chart predicts: “Up to one-fifth of the world population affected by increased flood events ... “1.1 to 3.2 billion people with increased water scarcity” ...”major extinctions around the globe.”

Despite that dire outlook, several scientists involved in the process say they are optimistic that such a drastic temperature rise won’t happen because people will reduce carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming.

“The worst stuff is not going to happen because we can’t be that stupid,” said Harvard University oceanographer James McCarthy, who was a top author of the 2001 version of this report. “Not that I think the projections aren’t that good, but because we can’t be that stupid.”

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.