Dexter Season 5 - what's Dexter anyway?

Dexter is not a Tiger Woods update or an NFL football player. For that, you may say "Thank God", but look; what's Dexter anyway? More like who's Dexter anyway? Dexter Season 5 has got people talking include me, and I've never heard of Dexter. Showtime calls him "America's favorite serial killer."

Yikes.

Dexter is a Showtime Original Series about a man who works within the bowls of the criminal justice system, but goes out and kills those people already suspected of being guilty of a crime, making him a kind of serial killer.

My first response in considering this television series was "I can't believe someone made a show like this, and that people are watching it."

My second take was "What the hell is wrong with society?"

I ask because, thousands of people lined up for at least four hours to see a special screening of the show's Season 5 finale Sunday in New York City, leading to this tweet:

At the Dexter finale party in NYC and fans have been lined up since 4:30 this afternoon. That's Dextication! about 6 hours ago from Echofon

And "Dextication"? Oh man. What's going on? And I have to ask, why is Dexter white? Would the show be as popular if he were black? I ask because once again we're thrown images to consume without asking why we're supposed to do so. You know? Is this a way of saying that it's OK for a white man to be a celebrated serial killer? Now, maybe I should rethink that, because who in blazes wants to be fawned all over because they're a serial killer?

But the point is, does Dexter reflect a racial double standard, such that in reality a white person is more likely to get away with such crimes than someone black? It's worthy of discussion.

Well, here's a video from the show; maybe you can clue me in:



Stay tuned.

Giants Drop a Tough One to the Hated Eagles

Giants Drop a Tough One to the Hated Eagles



The NY Giants came into this game tonight needing a win over the Eagles in the worst way. They couldn't come up with one, and so goes their season. In dropping the second game of the year to the birds, NY has no chance to win the NFC eastern Division, and must now win the final three games against the Redskins, Panthers, and Vikings just to win 10 games and get into post season play. We will have a full recap, but three players who had tough days for NY on Offense were Brandon Jacobs, Eli Manning, and Mario Manningham. This was their last game against the Eagles in Giants Stadium, with all the motivation in the world, and while they never gave up, they made plenty of mistakes in the loss. Including a sack and fumble on the very last play on offense. the Giants allowed 4 turnovers and several big plays, including a defensive touchdown, a punt return for a touchdown, and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. The Giants drop to a 7-6 record and are once again hanging by a thread in the playoff race. No joy in "wetville" tonight folks.

Lady GaGa in San Francisco: fans wait in line

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Kengr at YouTube Meetup

At Lake Chalet at 1520 Lakeside dr
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At YouTube Meetup at Lake Chalet Oakland

I am at Lake Chalet Oakland for the YouTube meetup at 1520 Lakeside Drive
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2012, Avatar, and Star Trek on list of 15 films vying for VFX Oscar

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a list of 15 movies competing to be one of just three films to be nominated for the Best Visual Effects Oscar. In my view this is the most competitive field in years. Let's look at the list first where the movies are in alphabetical order:

* Angels & Demons
* Avatar
* Coraline
* Disney's A Christmas Carol
* District 9
* G-Force
* G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
* Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
* Sherlock Holmes
* Star Trek
* Terminator Salvation
* Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
* 2012
* Watchmen
* Where the Wild Things Are

If recent trends are a guide, the Academy will pick realism over obviously fantasy environments. That's what happened with the Lord of The Rings series which won the effects prize every year one of the movies was released. With that in mind, I think Avatar, 2012, and Star Trek have to be the front runners here.

Avatar has some of the most complex effects scenes ever developed and one look at a trailer reveals an unmatched richness and depth of layering. The Avatar world is hyper-real on a grand scale.

2012's depictions of earthquakes, floods, and giant arc-like vessels is just breath-taking. So much so that the film becomes a sensory experience.

Star Trek has a scene with the drydocked Enterprise that's so good it looks as if the 1,000-foot spacecraft is actually there in daylight. Subject matter aside, it's the most realistic scene of its kind I've ever seen in a movie.

Oscar List will be paired to three

The Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee - the same group that created this list - will meet in January to pair it down to seven films. Then on January 21st all AMPAS Visual Effects Branch members will be invited to a special screening of 15-minutes of each of the seven short-listed films. From that, the members will vote for the final three films for the category at the 82nd Academy Awards. The nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The Academy Awards is on Sunday, March 7, 2010 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on ABC. Seen one of the films? What's your favorite for the VFX Oscar?

Tiger Woods latest - Woods moving to Sweden on Yacht?

Tiger Woods moving to Sweden on a yacht? Tiger woods quit golf. The Tiger Woods latest news updates are getting weird. The the continuous public frenzy to learn more and more about the fall of Tiger Woods, the World's Greatest Golfer, has caused more confusing headlines and sloppy media content in the midst of all these updates - including mine.

For example, The Huffington Post has it that Woods' wife Elin Nordegren has purchased a $2 million home in her native Sweden. But that alleged development has other media outlets assuming she's leaving Woods. Now, it's reported at the same Huff Post that Woods himself is moving to Sweden with Elin Nordegren. But Campbell Brown and Larry King Live both on CNN reported that Woods and his wife were going to get away on their yacht.

So from all this we can only conclude that Woods and wife are traveling to Sweden on their yacht.

Right.

Separating fact from fiction is a doable process in this scandal but the rapid pace of information created, in some cases from thin air, makes it hard to do. Then that information is covered over by television appearances by Tiger Woods mistresses Jaimie Grubbs, who said she is sorry for huring Elin Nordegren, to Jamie Jungers, who was given the spotlight on NBC's The Today's Show to say she had fallen in love with Tiger Woods during their affair.

Sad for Jamie Jungers, who seems like a nice person.  I suppose her mood is still anxious.

Meanwhile the whole deal gets a ton of attention, leading some to ask why the media pays attention to the story. Hey, it's society's fault. OK. Besides, I have to admit it's a lot less annoying than the attention given to Sarah Palin. I mean lets' face it: Palin is no match for Al Gore in a debate on anything. But Palin versus Al Gore on climate change would be like Bambi versus Godzilla.

You know how that turned out.

And will someone - OK me - tell Stephen A. Smith to chill on insulting Tiger Woods, calling him a phony and essentially cracking on him with a really hurtful relish as he did on Larry King Live Friday night.  In the past I liked what Stephen A. Smith had to say about anything, and watched his TV show as its important for blacks to support blacks in media.  But only to a point.  I've reached it. 

Now Stephen A. Smith really just comes off as a mean person.  I wonder how he would handle it if another Stephen A. Smith talked about him the way he talks about Tiger Woods?  Think about it.  Here's a brother who of course wants other brothers to stand behind him on the air but he can't even bother to talk about Tiger Woods in measured tones?  I get that Smith's upset with Woods' parade of stories, but come on. 

Karma...You know what I mean. 

Stay tuned and Happy Hanukkah.