Yes, I'm a bit narcissistic here, but since I never gave anyone advance warning, you can find the audio of my appearance on Boise radio about Ken Jennings (look for the July 30 Spud Brothers show, somewhere in the two-hour range). It's nothing special, but hey, someone actually set up something the four hours or so the column was actually up on the site.

I've actually been beaten to the punch on posting this to a blog by Cooch and JD, but here's my long awaited KenJen column. There are a few things I wished I could've added (especially a good Cliff Claven reference), but I didn't want to ramble on even further than I already had in the piece.

Raindrops keep falling my head
I'm still drying out from a decent day in New York. My brother and I discovered a nice back way into the Met, which we would've exploited more had we not had other things to do in the city.

I should've taken some photos while wandering around Manhattan in between the actual things I had to, but then again, how much of a tourist do I really want to look like if I actually have places to go? However, I did want to mention this Joey Fatone photo that was blown up really big in Times Square -- I swear it's Elvis Costello after a few too many cheeseburgers.

While I did some of my usual social visits in Manhattan, such as visiting Gobo and seeing the New York staff, I also was able to see an advanced screening of Garden State (making up for the one I missed in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago). And I lucked out in a huge way getting a pass: The New York Times site actually had a popup offering readers an invitation to the free screening -- thus the first ever useful popup ad in history. Unfortunately, because of some horrible weather in the late afternoon, in which I got rained on really badly, there wasn't much of a crowd (only about 60-70 people). I'd also like to think popup blockers might've stopped a bunch of people from even seeing that invitation.

But getting back to the movie, one of the quotes on the posters called it this year's Lost In Translation, and it's actually not a bad comparison at all. In this case, Zach Braff plays the actor trying to find himself in a not-so-familiar place (in this case home, where he hasn't been for nine years), and Natalie Portman is the sweetly troubled soul he discovers on that journey. Along the way, Braff's character learns a lot about his old hometown friends he left years ago and tries to resolve some long-standing family situations.

I really liked this movie, and much like Lost In Translation, it's because I could connect with the main character, who comes home to New Jersey and yet it doesn't really seem like home -- even when it comes to seeing old friends. Braff even said that a lot of it was based on his own life (oddly enough, we're both from Jersey and we're both Class of '97 from Northwestern, although I'd never heard of him, never mind met him, until Scrubs came out). While there were plenty of humorous moments, it was also very striking and poignant -- a delicate balance for any writer/director, especially for a first major feature film.

Braff had a decent script and did a solid job directing and acting, but Natalie Portman really shined in what could be called the livelier version of Scarlett Johannsen's character from last year. Plus, the soundtrack was amazing and really matched the mood of the film. It was the first time in a while that I was drawn to a soundtrack that didn't feature songs that I was familiar with.

And yes, I think it's really fitting that I happened to watch this movie on a rare trip home to New Jersey. But hey, it's a nice time for movies about Jersey that have nothing to do with the mob.

Snarkolepsy
I'm home in New Jersey for the week, and right now I've slept probably a total of three hours the past couple of days. Since I didn't get home until about 3 a.m. and a 9:30 a.m. flight the next morning (plus the potential security hassles getting there), I figured I'd just stay up, play NCAA Football 2005 and just chill out before going to the airport. It's actually worked out well, since I got my requisite sleep on the plane and a little nap when I got in.

I'll have a little more on the trip once I figure out what the heck I'll be doing.

I'm also eventually going to have my Ken Jennings column, but for now, Cooch has his solid column on the phenomenon, with just a little peek into the quizbowl world from which he came.

Also, the New York Times seemed to get a bit overintellectual with its review of Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, but it's a solid read nonetheless. However, Scott also suffers a bit from Ebert-itis in misidentifying one of the corporate drones from early in the movie. It is in fact Ethan Embry playing a corporate tool, as he tries to figure out where his career went after the vastly underrated Can't Hardly Wait.

Nostalgia overload
I've watched most of I Love the '90s, which has proved once again it's TV's version of junk food -- it's not all the enriching, but it's damn entertaining and you see if you can resist watching it when it comes on. However, it does suffer a tad compared to the previous incarnations, but that shouldn't be a surprise when some of the stuff they're reminiscing is barely old enough to be nostalgic, but not necessarily snarky, about. But, I do think they did a great job incorporating '90s music within the segments -- possibly the best of the four series. That did the best job of triggering the nostalgia more than most of the segments on pop culture.
 
Triggering the nostalgia in me is a lot stranger in the '90s, compared to the '80s shows or the '70s. I was a child of the '80s, so both sets of series were a fun look at my childhood. While I was born in the '70s and had a smattering of memories from then, there's enough of a disconnect that it's fine to look at things ironically and still be entertained.
 
But in the '90s, I can actually point to a number of years and think of important things happening in my life that it wasn't always all about pop culture. My '90s include most of high school, all of college, and the beginning of adulthood and the "real world." I seemed to "live" all of this, and some of it even seemed to live in the background.
 
It's fine to see some of the regular panelists back, what's up with all the second bananas offering their insights? Instead of Blossom, you get Six (not that I'm complaining there); no Jennifer Love Hewitt or Neve Campbell, but Lacey Chabert (again, no complaints); A.J. Langer instead of Claire Danes; Dean instead of either Gilmore Girl; Rachel Bilson instead of Adam Brody or Mischa Barton; Gunther instead of any of the Friends (he's the only regular from the show who's not acclaimed enough to think this stuff is beneath him); the list goes on and on.
 
There are a couple of entries off the top of my head that really make me go hmmm ...
--What in the world are Zubaz pants doing in 1996? Those things were long out of style by then. I can remember owning a Zubaz hat while I was in high school, not to mention those Arena Football teams with Zubaz uniforms.
--I was amused to see a full segment on Office Space as it proved that some memories are shaped long after the fact. The movie was a bust when it first came out in 1999 (I can remember it being in the theaters for about two weeks in that dead zone in February), but it wouldn't be for another year or so after it ended up on video that it would gain all its momentum as a pop cultural phenomenon -- after the '90s were over.
--Y2K was obviously right at the end of '99, but they also were able to sneak in John Rocker, whose infamous comments appeared the final week of the year.
--I'm sure there's more out there. Feel free to add your own, not to mention stuff that was missing, warped, etc.

Next month, I'll be attending the UNITY Convention in DC (hopefully I'll get to see a bunch of DC-based people while I'm in town as well). One of the highlights is the AAJA Scholarship Banquet, which recently announced its special guests. I think you can guess who I'm most excited to see.

One milllllllion dollars!
As mentioned before, here's the article my friend Rodney wrote in the AJC about the Ken Jennings phenomenon. It actually looks a lot better in the paper because the article included a graphic of six of the Final Jeopardy clues during his run. And as for his breaking the $1 million mark -- it was a tad anticlimactic since he got the question wrong (although I got it right sitting at home) -- but entering Final Jeopardy with $46,000 is absolutely ridiculous.

This now means I know of three people with quizbowl connections who have broken $1 million on game shows. And to think, I was kidding around on my Weakest Link application that I wanted to use the money I might've won on creating a program that helped feed contestants to different game shows -- I guess we've already had it to begin with.

Speaking of Weakest Link, BBC America is now showing the British version of the game. There was a share of British-centric questions (what county or country some lesser-known landmarks are located, some British TV shows, a few rugby and cricket rules questions), but there also was a surprising abundance of U.S. geography and movie questions. It will still be a challenge for any American playing along, but you'd be surprised how well you could do.

VH1: Only shame, no points
Thanks to their Big Kahuna Summer, I've actually had VH1 subject me to both seasons of the Surreal Life in less than 24 hours and draw me in to whatever Rachael Harris, Michael Ian Black and Hal Sparks have to say about 90210, Gerardo and Bugle Boy Jeans. Grrrreat.

I can't believe VH1 is now picking up the next edition of the Surreal Life and in the process is bringing in Jordan Knight, Flava Flav, Brigitte Nielsen, Ryan Starr and Dave Coulier. There's a bit too much of "Who is that again?" for this edition to match the previous two, which had enough kitsch-star power to move it along.

As for I Love the '90s, I'll have more of a review once I watch more than just the 1991 episode I saw after Ken Jennings appeared on Letterman. But I will say that it's nice that they're doing the music compilations for the shows, but I want the DVDs, damn it. For goodness sake, Murder She Wrote, Knight Rider, Sliders and The Munsters are all heading to DVD. When will Davis Rules, The Charmings, Out of this World and Marblehead Manor head to the shiny discs?

I really do like the Home Run Derby, but I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed for most of this year, despite the great outbursts by Lance Berkman and Miguel Tejada in the second round -- and providing many of the very casual fans to ask whodat?

Berkman had the home crowd behind him, and it really helped that he hit his homers in bunches. In fact, that's when the home run derby becomes fun -- when someone pulls off a streak of four or five in a row and the crowd gets fired up. It's not as exhilarating when someone does a string of "out-homer-out-homer-homer-out-out." There's not much of a groove going on. (To an extent, that would sum up Tejada's first round, as well as Barry Bonds' and Rafael Palmeiro's rounds.) This is where you get to see both sides of the 10-out format instead of the 10-swing style. And honestly, to make a game of it, I'd love to see it redone in the style of the old Home Run Derby show, although that would take too long. (The offseason version that's filmed in Las Vegas isn't all that compelling, though.)

At least they opened the roof for the later rounds. It gave a little more perspective as to how far the homers actually went from righties. Hitting the glass wall doesn't say a whole lot when it's probably closer in than Tal's Hill. But clear the train tracks and it feels like you've hit a bomb. Also, I'm surprised no one cleared the hill in center field during the derby. Even though most of the homers are pull jobs, there's usually one or two dead center moon shots that take out a scoreboard or mascot.

What also killed some of the momentum of this year's derby was all the interviews with the 500-homer club. While it was great to hear what they had to say (as well as keep Chris Berman relatively quiet), it was hard to get into many of the hitters. Miguel Tejada's record round took place while Reggie Jackson hogged the spotlight in his interview. Only when Tejada was getting close to double digits did they start paying attention to him. It was a nice idea in theory, but it seemed way too distracting. At least most of the 500-homer guys they interviewed had slightly better on-air presence than those amazingly awkward interviews during the old Home Run Derby.
"So, Mickey, he sure got a hold of one, didn't he?" "Yup."

Damn you, Trebek
It's about time I mentioned Ken Jenning's amazing run on Jeopardy!. I'm thinking about writing something at work about him, but for now, I'm just feeding information to a friend working on an article on the run. In the midst of my research, I came across this page, which chronicles every contestant, answer, etc. from each game of the season. You can re-live all of Ken's wins (and in the case of my friend, can find all of the vanquished from the Atlanta area). It's an impressive site, and yet amazingly disturbing at the same time to find someone doing a play-by-play of every game for nearly a year.

It's good to see Ken doing well, although I've never met him. I thought for a while I played him at the ABD back in 2000, but I'm doubting that now because it took place on a Sunday. Oh well. Still, it's good to see yet another of the quizbowl world doing well on game shows. Right now, I'd like to see a team of Ken, Brian Weikle and Mark Dawson at a tournament as Team Jeopardy! (we'll stick with three because it's like a regular episode of the show; otherwise, there'd been a long list

I'm amazed by how well he's playing, even though I think I could keep up with him for good stretches of time before getting smoked. I'm even answering with the same cadences and/or goofiness. After a while, all you look for is how much he'll take home at the end of the day.

One of the good things about the run is that I'm getting my brain more tuned up for a game show run -- Jeopardy! is on at 4:30 here in Atlanta, perfect time for me to watch and then head out to work. Many people like Jake Johannsen have rediscovered the show just to watch Ken keep going. However, you've still got to wonder how some of the past champions might've done with an extended run.

Update: Thanks to Phil (in the comments), I finally got my confirmation that I actually played Ken four years ago at the ABD -- with my team beating his. I guess that makes for a little more fodder for whatever Jeopardy! story I eventually decide to whip up.

When in Rome
Forgot to mention one thing I did like about Napoleon Dynamite was the use of this song leading into the closing credits.

This just in
When in Rome is also a mangled piece of language featured in Anchorman, which was funny for what it was -- a 90-minute SNL-type sketch with its share of funny moments and poor attempts at humor, not to mention a bunch of excuses to throw in '70s music. (However, I think Matt Damon still beats this cast for the best movie rendition of "Afternoon Delight.")

It does work as a satire of the news business, showing what many of us (including those in the business) perceive local TV news to be, although Salon topped that recently by showing current-day examples of the often lamebrained pomposity of the business.

Steve Carrell's somewhat retarded weatherman is possibly a better example of the business than even Will Ferrell's Ron Burgundy. (And to complete the circle, Christina Applegate has graduated from the infamous weatherbunny on Married with Children to the anchor chair, although everyone is still going after her.)

The one thing that both amused and disturbed me was having the current inner circle of male comedic actors (dubbed the Frat Pack by some) decided to converge all at once. Vince Vaughn shows up earlier in the movie, but then all of a sudden there's Luke Wilson (OK, let's complete the Old School connections). Jack Black makes a short appearance, and Tim Robbins hams it up as a PBS news reporter (since John Cusack isn't going to be here, we've finished the High Fidelity string). And since we've got Black, Vaughn, Ferrell and Wilson brother in one movie, obviously Ben Stiller was going to show up -- as a Spanish news reporter. I'm surprised Stiller didn't try to bring in Owen Wilson or Christine Taylor, but then again, it's not really his movie and he's used them already this year.

It was still good fun, given my reasonably low expectations of the movie. I suppose it's sometimes good to know what you're getting into -- you can have a so-so time and still feel satisfied and "stay classy."

Yes, I'll be watching Anchorman at my earliest convenience, but I was also fascinated that the movie also decided to use Friendster profiles to help advertise the film. As if I needed more connections to people through the most tenuous of means -- I'm amused to the connections to people thanks to having "John Kerry" as a "friend."

Speaking of reviews, check out the Amazon.com Knee-Jerk Contrarian Game.

Dude, where's my Asians?
That might be the best way to describe Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, which I saw in a press screening that had as many security guards and movie reps as people actually attending. Oh well, it fit into my schedule better than the big shindig with the stars the next night. That lack of an audience probably didn't help me try to find as many funny bit as I would in a full theater.

Nonetheless, the film really does seem as, this review notes, a rewrite of Dude, Where's My Car? -- not a surprise because it's the same director at work here. Except instead of Stifler and Kelso, you get (as the ads note) the Asian guy from the American Pie movies and the Indian guy from Van Wilder -- and some typical Asian stereotypes, sorta: one's an up-and-coming analyst, the other aced his MCATs and is applying to med school. But they both like to get baked, and with a case of the munchies, they're trying to find White Castle.

From there, the journey goes through all sorts of wackiness up and down New Jersey in search of the famed burgers. No Zartan or space aliens this time, but there is a tripped-out Doogie Howser, a stop-off at Princeton, an encounter with a boil-filled redneck (they exist in NJ?) and his hot wife, plus Anthony Anderson (who you can recognize) and Jamie Kennedy (who you really can't), plus Finch and Van Wilder (to help support their previous supporting players). It's all silly and goofy, and yes, it probably works better if you're high, but it's funny nonetheless.

However, being a New Jersey native, and with the action taking place in the Garden State (but of course filmed mostly in Canada), trying to figure out the geography of the movie would encourage you to toke up. So as not to spoil the movie even more than I already have, I'll hold off on posting the map until the movie officially comes out. But in the meantime, here's a list of White Castles the guys couldn't find.

One of the stranger things about the movie was how much I could've had flashbacks to college since Kumar looks a lot like my freshman year roommate Sanjay. But I don't look like John Cho, and the stoners were the guys next door to us. However, a White Castle run could've been in the cards -- there were a few in Chicago. So much for reality.

More movie capsules, since it seems that's what I do in between watching Wimbledon matches while at the gym:

Fahrenheit 9/11: It was well-made and entertaining, although you have to be skeptical of both Moore's assertions and the criticisms/rebuttals. The truth is somewhere in the middle, but definitely not in what has been offered. No one ever said he was trying to be even-handed, although the second half of the film (about Lila Lipscomb and Flint) worked much better if only because there seemed to be more relevance instead of the angry Michael Moore who appeared to be proving what he said at the Oscars was right. What's odd is that my politics are drifting left, but I have more issues with Moore now, compared to the Roger & Me/TV Nation days, when I was a bit more to the right.

Control Room: If you're looking for a "real" documentary, concerning the war, then this is for you. It's not as slick as F9/11, but it's engrossing and entertaining without having to involve the filmmakers. What you take from the film is that Al Jazeera is no "evil mouthpiece" as many paint it. It caters to a certain audience, but there's great care in trying to report the news fairly, which can be harder than many think. One telling scene in the film was the senior producer lambasting a producer for booking an interview with an American commentator who ripped U.S. policy, instead of looking for a more "balanced" guest.

Napoleon Dynamite: And now for something completely different. A movie about a high school nerd sorta making good? Of course I'm there. However, I wanted to like the film a lot more than I really did. John Heder absolutely nailed the role of the mouth-breathing nerd, but much of the supporting cast seemed to much like caricatures and while I don't mind meandering plots, this one wandered around even more than I'd like. There were plenty of funny scenes, but there was something missing that I can't necessarily put my finger on.


Speaking of Wimbledon, for Q rating purposes, the Serena-Sharapova final was the one everyone wanted to see. Of course, I got slightly confused after that match when I saw the early previews for Wimbledon, the movie, because there was another willowy blonde, only it was Kirsten Dunst instead of Sharapova.

And for the first time in a long time, I actually cared about women's golf because of Jennifer Rosales of the Philippines via USC had the lead in the U.S. Open before stumbling badly in the final round. Oh well, time for me to stop caring for a while other than to think, "Michelle Wie is just 14?"