posted by admin on Mar 31
Interesting article from ESPN’s departing ombudsman Le Anne Schrieber.
She summarizes the most common complaints sent to her during her time at “The Network” as well as her own interpretation of the networks problems. Her observations are very astute and will probably articulate the thoughts of many frustrated viewers but I think she ignores one large problem perhaps because she is too close to the news industry. And make no mistake it has become an industry.
The biggest problem for ESPN is the sheer volume of networks and the immense demand for sports programming for each of those networks. A Monday night in December with an NFL game, numerous college, NBA and NHL games taking place the sprawling coverage of sports is warranted and demanded. However, on any given Thursday morning during the 11 AM Sportscenter what to do you play? Playing highlights conflicts with ESPN News, ESPN2 is showing a personality based talk-show, ESPN Classic is showing an old game and ESPNU, well, no one knows what they are showing because no one actually gets ESPNU but we’ll pretend they’re reporting on something college related.
The only way for ESPN to differentiate themselves from themselves is with who is talking.
Which leads us into all of the complaints found within Schriebers article. I do not share her optimism that ESPN will regain its way because The Network has fallen into the same 24-hour instant gratification quest for ratings that the major new networks have fallen prey too and these networks continue to show the impossibility of properly covering a story within that manifestation of the press.
Perhaps ESPN is simply afraid to allow and real competition so they buy up every writer, radio and TV personality but then have to do something with them. Maybe someday I’ll be able to watch Sportscenter and get the feel of a game or gain some understanding of who is playing well besides Lebron James and Kobe Bryant, but I doubt it.
posted by admin on Mar 30
Finally, caught Watchmen over the weekend and was underwhelmed by the movie. Not to say it’s all bad or a total disappointment but it’s easy to understand why Alan Moore, the author of the graphic novel, withheld his name from the credits.
A film that outwardly claims to be an authentic, reverent reproduction of the graphic novel loses it’s way by ignoring the deeper themes. Watchmen, the graphic novel, investigates what type of person puts on a costume and fights crime and what motivations exist to become a vigilante. The film largely ignores these themes by glorifying the crime fighters and bestowing upon them super-human strength. Sure, the action sequences look cool but someone capable to bashing another person through a granite counter-top ignores any psychologically depth to a character for a flashy surface.
But the inherent problem with adapting the graphic novel so faithfully is the pacing. The graphic novel is a collection of 12 separate comic books. Yes, they tell one cohesive story but each issue is very much self-contained in that it has a beginning, middle and end with the proper emotional reveals and character exploration. The story requires three or four films to handle all the character arcs and in its current form has an odd feeling of rushing to get nowhere.
Something I found odd was the soundtrack. An overuse of pop songs distracted me from many scenes and felt inappropriate in speculative history. Using “Flight of the Valykries” for the Vietnam scene was especially distracting as it made me think of a much better movie and seemed an odd, derivative choice. I am very curious if these were studio choices in a feeble attempt at accessibility or if the film makers honestly wanted these songs.
The film also suffers from it’s cold war setting. Given all the problems in the world today I would have been interested to see an attempt at updating the story to modern times. This probably would turn out horrible but with the right talent and a certain amount of luck could have been stunning.
Despite the number of complaints I have about the film I still enjoyed the experience. Perhaps it’s my affection for the source material causing both the complaints and my enjoyment but I do wish I had seen the film opening night as the communal buzz certainly would have made the experience better. I look forward to the inevitable director’s cut in the hopes it will solve several of my complaints but I don’t hold out too much hope for that. The comic book/graphic novel is the perfect medium for telling this story and exploring these characters and while I won’t say they shouldn’t have made the film, I probably would not have. A grand but misguided attempt.
posted by admin on Mar 27
So much for the Memphis D. I don’t know if efficiency ratings can ever work in college basketball because the teams are in constant flux so the historical data is relatively useless compared to the MLB or NBA. Just read Ken Pomeroy’s description of his system and decide for yourself if its current incarnation is worth paying attention to.
It’s the same problem I have with RPI. Duke finished the season at #1 in RPI (there seem to be several RPI’s out there but Duke was in the top 3 of them all). But anyone who watched college basketball this year could tell you Duke was not the number one team in the country. It’s especially ridiculous for them to be ranked head of UNC a team that beat them twice and had a better record. You start to see the problems.
All of these systems whether it be RPI, Efficiency Ratings or Media Polls have huge flaws that will never be solved because that’s the nature of sports. I just wish more of the media understood this instead of harping on these numbers as all knowing. The basketball statistical revolution is still young and hopefully a solid Memphis team getting a questionable #2 seed will be the biggest problem.
posted by admin on Mar 26
Thanks to everyone who’s been listening to the podcast, not sure what the exact numbers are but I know my bandwidth use has gone through the roof. I’m working on getting it up on iTunes so you can subscribe through there because that is so easy but for now you can find everything stored at: http://www.michaelsoucy.com/mcrib.xml
It’s also in my Blogroll as a link. What you didn’t know I had a blogroll? Go check out all the sites. Now! They are all good people who deserve many, many hits.
I’m still figuring all this out so there may be a few hiccups but in a few days everything should be ironed out.
A little over two hours until tip-off and beer!
posted by admin on Mar 26
Great, great episode of Lost last night. Dropping a podcast here. WARNING: Big spoiler in the last minute of the podcast, I warn you very clearly in the podcast but it has to do with next weeks episode in regards to what happened at the end of last night’s episode. So you have been warned. It runs about 17 minutes. I’m still not quite there but I do think I am getting better and slowing myself down.
Things I didn’t mention in the podcast:
Next week: Whatever Happened, Happened - Kate episode
Two Weeks: Dead is Dead
Very interesting titles given Sayid and Ben at the end of last nights episode.
For those who don’t want to listen to the Podcast, I talked about Ben and Sayid and what this means for the time travel theories of the show. Talked about a few problems I had with last night’s episode and possible foreshadowing indicated by the book Ben hands Sayid in his jail cell.
Possible SPOILER:
Final episode of the season is a two-parter called The Incident. Someone’s gonna die!
posted by admin on Mar 24
Get it out of the way. Wake Forest was a complete and utter disaster and disappointment. Five minutes into it I knew they were going to lose, just drank angrily the entire game and left the bar with seventeen seconds left. Thankfully, Cleveland St. lost to Arizona so no more talk of them.
UCONN looks unbelievable. Villanova looks very good. Blake Griffin is the best player in the country. Pitt looks suspect. Everyone else looks about how you thought they would.
I still feel good about Louisville losing at some point, we’ll see how hot Arizona really is but the mid-west is primed for a great Elite Eight game.
I’m still talking myself into Pitt winning it all. They’ve been too good all there and now have the bad games out of their system. I thought Villanova was a lock to destroy Duke but everyone is high on ‘Nova and that makes me a little nervous.
Non-sports related: The Venture Bros.: Season Three comes out today. I’m prepared to call it the funniest show on TV. If you missed last weeks South Park head over to South Park Studios site and check out ‘The Coon’. A very enjoyable spoof of The Dark Knight.
Still recovering from all the beer I drank this weekend and catching up on a number of things. Probably posting more the next couple days and I am planning a Lost podcast for Thursday so feel free to get back into checking the site for updates, I know the hit count drops like crazy when I go out of town and don’t post for a few days and takes a couple weeks to get back up.
Oh no! You outta time baby!
posted by admin on Mar 17
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
No podcast today, I am not nearly prepared enough to talk about the NIT.
NCAA - No longer am I high on Maryland. They lack the size. I have Washington beating UCONN now and making the Final Four. Michigan St. in the Midwest now. I’m sure that will all change. Pitt and UNC still in the Final Four, I just don’t see who in their regions beats either of them. Sure, someone could but it just seems more unlikely then the other regions.
Out of town starting tomorrow morning so no Lost post until next Monday or Tuesday, no podcasts and little to no posting in general especially if Wake loses in the first round b/c then I will have snapped the laptop in half.
Off to Phoenix - Land of 1000 Fertile Suns!
posted by admin on Mar 16
This evening I (finally) finished Dan Simmons new novel Drood. Although I have not read it, the novel seems to have more in common with his last work The Terror than some of his more famous works (i.e. Hyperion). But the novel still contains the wonderful, insightful and often essential allusions to classical works of literature seen throughout Simmons work. In this case he has taken on Dickens’ oeuvre and elevates the thriller genre to an elegant literary level with a gothic mystery filled with subtle humor and Dickensian touches.
The novelist (and friend of Dickens) William Wilkie Collins serves as narrator and eventually plays Salieri to Dickens’ Mozart. Simmons avoids some of the obvious pitfalls of an intentionally mediocre narrator by adopting a subtle humor in the occasionally overwrought style and a blatant hypocrisy in Collins’ opinions versus his actual narration. In this aspect the prose is delightful but also demonstrates the strength of the characters to carry the novel at times. In one of several Dickensian inspirations small, exceptionally drawn characters populate the world and the novels length is due to amount of time given to so many of these characters. This time never feels distracting or frustrating but serves to further envelope the reader in the mystery as well as make the novel exist over a long breadth of time.
In hindsight we spend shockingly little time with the titular character Drood but the way he haunts every page of the novel after his initial appearance at the scene of a train wreck makes him an unforgettable villain. A mystical figure with the power to control other men he exerts a tension on the novel as the logical part of the reader demands he be seen as a 19th century boogeyman but gruesome, indescribable events demand his existence with equal strength. This mystery along with what power this fearsome villain has over Dickens drives the reader through the final pages with a vigor matching the portrayal of the famous author.
I would like to say the novel exceeds mere genre but worry my affinity for the writer is coloring my impressions. Perhaps some more time to think will sway my opinion one way or another but I feel extremely confident recommending the novel to anyone looking for a well-written thriller. The familiarity of Dickens and his works (who doesn’t know Tiny Tim?) grounds the novel to make it more accessible to readers unfamiliar with gothic mystery or who might be turned off by some of the more supernatural elements in the novel. Simmons is at the peak of his craft and I anxiously await his next novel.
posted by admin on Mar 16
A friend of mine from DC runs a cooking blog and is currently engaged in ritual internet battle with his arch-rival.
Head to Macheesmo and vote! Be sure to vote for Macheesmo, screw that bastard at ‘food in my beard’.
Everyone who votes receives a smug sense of satisfaction!
