What it means to be an elephant...

..and an Emmy-award winner! Some of tv writing at its best... tonight's Best Actor (Dramatic TV) James Spader on Boston Legal brings it all to life ...




And cheers, too, to 30 Rock ...



Finally, the Goomba's got the big one ... don't stop believin' ... need a refresher?

Watch and Vote!

http://www.muchmoremusic.com/top10/

The yin/yang of it all

Ever had one of those days? The kind that start out where you think you're just staring trouble right in the face and that it can only go downhill from there? A day that begins with a late start, a grumbling "best friend", a dead bird in your trunk -- a beautiful Blue Jay at that -- and quickly escalates to a flat tire all in the span of about 20 minutes? That was mine.

As the day goes along, you forget to send an important fax, draft a particular email, return a 2-day-old voice mail, read a government requested report complete with recommendations you knew were needed a decade ago ... and, oh ya: pay the car dealer over 600 bucks.

Sigh.

But, then they're the folks that balance it all out ... the yin, the yang: the good-guy tow truck operator ... the colleague who picks you up and drops you off at the office ... the fellow "Packinators" who you share your lunch with ... the service guy at the car dealer who gets your car washed.

Sigh.

RIP, little guy.

Sorry it couldn't have been a little more dignified.

Emmy in a box

A Creative Arts Emmy Award winner (...and over 26 MILLION VIEWS and counting) ...:

Bravo, Maestro... Bravo

Sunday tunes and grins

To end the week, I was about to load up some tunes here, but I suddenly remembered talking with some of the gals at lunch last week about Carol Burnett ...so I was curious as to what I'd find ...

Anyway, first a little music intro ...


...now, an absolute classic ... the audio isn't great on this one (and the video isn't either, for that matter), so you'll have to turn up the volume a bit ... i can totally relate to Harvey -- I would defy anyone to taking his place and keeping a straight face!

Enjoy,



:))

The curiosity of a child

I've just seen one of the most beautiful movie web sites in a long time! Set for a December release, the film is actually the first in a trilogy, and is being produced by New Line, much like they produced The Lord of the Rings.

It's called The Golden Compass. The site itself is loaded with neat stuff. No doubt, the "Comic Con Preview" link (on home page) is much better than the 'official trailer', at giving a peak as to what the movie's all about.

The site also allows a visitor to determine their "daemon" -- a person's animal soul, a talking animal spirit -- by answering a brief questionnaire. Mine is Gabriel ... however, you can also invite your friends to determine whether or not the animal is correct. My lion could transform over the course of 12 days, depending on how my friends answer 4 or 5 questions.

The Alethiometer -- an instrument used to seek out truth also known as the golden compass -- is also a cool section.

Oh, and Daniel Craig is in it too. :))

Paul Weller

Like pebbles on a beach
Kicked around, displaced by feet
Like broken stones - all trying to get home.
Like a losers reach
Too slow & short to hit the peaks
So lost & alone - trying to get home.

As another piece shatters
Another little bit gets lost
And what else really matters - at such a cost?

Like a losers reach -
Too slow & short to hit the peaks
So lost & alone - trying to get home.

Trying to get home -
Like broken stones - all trying to get home.

The ramifications of ignorance

I'm determined to post a lot of the video clips I’ve bookmarked, before Big Brother negotiations are finalized and implemented. Universal has gone after the Google’s and YouTube’s in a big way … completely freaking out about copyright concerns of television programs that are uploaded without permission. New restrictions are coming soon … September I think.

Why is it that in so many situations, on so many levels, it’s about control. It’s always been about control … well, that and the almighty dollar and the destructive defiance of not seeing the bigger picture. The ramifications of ignorance and the evil of greed that justifies the callous disregard of others … which only leads to the inevitable blackening of the self, the soul …



The above, in particular, resounds in so many ways ... it's Billy (barely a year before his untimely death) and Jools both in the finest of form, connecting with each other and with the audience ...it's the universal message Billy's singing about, the joy on his face in what he's doing combined with the certainty and belief he has in the lyrics and their message.

The very first time I heard Billy sing that song was on George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh 3-album set. I won it by calling in to a radio station … I think I was in Grade 8 at the time … funny how you can recall some moments from so long ago with such clarity – I even remember what I was wearing the day I went down to the station to pick it up … I did find a clip of that actual performance (early 70s) on YouTube, …at some point I’ll upload it, but that’s for another posting.

There needs to be a good vibe today. Good thoughts to get out there … to pass on, to ripple, to affect positive change. To anyone and everyone who reads this, and watches and listens to the following, CLICK ON THE COMMENTS LINK BELOW this posting. Let me know if this in any way made you feel even the slightest bit better. If you want to remain anonymous, remain anonymous.

There may be faces and voice you recognize, some you may not. But, it’s a collection of moments worthy of your time and reflection. From a benefit in memory of George Harrison, one year to the day after his passing (November 29, 2001). Notice his son, Dhani, playing guitar alongside Clapton and Jeff Lynne (ELO), Billy on vocals; Ray Cooper (of Elton John’s band) playing percussion, Ringo playing drums, McCartney on piano ….Gary Brooker, Jim Capaldi (also on drums), Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Notice the joy of the people in the audience…the joy of the performers themselves and carry this with you today …



... I really wish I was in that ‘room’ that night …

Sunday Swing

Upon discovering the "SwingJazzBlues" blog recently, perhaps today's the day for a little swing ... below are a couple of clips I found which may be a good backdrop as the weekend winds down and the week ahead is on the horizon....

From the sublime to the sublime: Jerry the genius (ok, Genius) in The Errand Boy (Count Basie's "Blues in Hoss Flat"), and The Ray Brown Trio with an absolutely incredible Gene Harris doing his own Summertime.

Danyele & Francesco

Should be a *great* time tonight ... :)



I like the above clip much better than the "official video" (a little creepy)

System Administrator Day

ok ... a heard from a little Ukranian birdy that today is System Administrator Day, the 8th annual one at that ...

I guess I agree with that (deadtroll.com) song guy that ya, having you around means we get to stay stupid and uninformed ... but, it also increases the chances that we all learn a few new things along the way.

I'm amazed that it's only been around for 8 years. Think of how long we have had the printed word. There were probably System Administrators back in the day, no? So on that note, and in the spirit of the day, I present "the book" -- something I'm sure that Alex, Ilya and Dimitry have all seen, but it's worth a second look.



Thanks, guys ...

And how did *you* sleep?

To those who know the details, some might suggest that the last 72 hours or so are a marketer's dream: the road to the FIFA final is plastered with condemnation and emails... which reminds me of that scene in Terry Gilliam's Brazil -- the one where DeNiro ("Tuttle" not "Buttle") in his final scene in the film ... uh, no, i won't go there; let's just say a LOT of paper was involved ... if you haven't seen the movie, rent/buy it ...

Anyway, the clips below are for those who had a really long Saturday that went well into the wee hours; for some, it was merely a case of Tarantino on CBC ... for others, it was trying to cope with an extraordinary amount of email that might, just might happen all over again today -- you know you who you are ...






...it's all good ...:)

FIFA days...

The last 24 hours have been a bit crazy, especially around the office. There's still fallout over the recent Argentina/Chile game, and the post game incident. Not to minimize what happened, but in the spirit of this weekend's final, why not take a look at Pippin.

See the music ....

Geez, it's hot ...

Ok, it's definitely a day for a cold one ...

Hey You

It's a shame, but not so surprising, that the day after such a historically significant media, world event the American morning Sunday talk shows are more focussed on the ramifications of Scooter Libby's commuted sentence.

In any event:


So what can we do to start? Why not take the quiz to first find out your ecological footprint, by going to www.myfootprint.org or Earth Lab's Live Impact score ... if you're in the design industry, visit www.designcanchange.org -- a gorgeous and really informative site for facts and suggestions regarding what the graphic design/production industry can to do make their work and habits more sustainable and environmentally friendly ...