Even more on X-Files 2

Per Variety, the sequel (which still doesn't have an official title) will release on July 25, 2008! That's a crazy short production schedule (they begin filming this December 10) but perhaps they can do it...

A snippet from the article:

Studio is keeping the film's logline under wraps, but stressed the pic is a stand-alone story and supernatural thriller that takes the complicated relationship between Mulder and Scully in new directions.

Happy Halloween

My sister reminded me that little children could be walking up to my door this evening asking for candy.

How was I oblivious to this? I knew Halloween was coming up but somehow it didn't occur to me that all the little kids in my apartment complex could be knocking on my door demanding treats.

I guess I'll have to go to the store at the last minute on my way home from school (I'll be at school from 8:30 to 5:30 today, beautiful!). Sonofabitch.

To get in the spirit of things, here's a picture of one of my Halloweens. Prior to this picture being taken, some little effer ripped off my tail (I'm supposed to be the Pink Panther). I was furious. Ahh, childhood!

Twin Peaks full box set released today

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the entire Twin Peaks series (including the pilot) is now available for sale as one box set!

Amazon is selling it at $35 off - and they also have a recipe for cherry pie and a video montage related to coffee on the product page.

Me thinky I need to buy this.

Bizarro

I just discovered something: In one of my books for my Contracts class there is a copy of the release form the producers of Borat asked participants to sign in order to appear in the film. The form describes the film as a "documentary-style film.... that the producer hopes [will] reach a young adult audience by using entertaining content and formats."

You may have heard that some of the participants sued the filmmakers, to no avail.

It was funny to flip through my school book and see a contract titled "Borat Release." Ha!

More on X-Files 2

This sequel has an IMDB listing now (moving it closer to legitimacy!), and filming begins in Vancouver on December 10. I'm happy to hear they'll be back in Vancouver. Those sunny days in LA were just not the same.

Chris Carter will direct a script he co-wrote with Frank Spotnitz. I can't wait to find out what Mulder and Scully have been up to since the finale, when we last saw them on a bed in a hotel room together!

New movies on the horizon

A new documentary about the late Joe Strummer.

A new one from the Coen Brothers (reminds me of Blood Simple).

And from Paul Thomas Anderson: There Will Be Blood.

Michel Gondry's take on video rentals.

Teaser for Francis Ford Coppola's Youth on Youth, starring Tim Roth.

From the guy who brought you Donnie Darko - here is Southland Tales (I'm worried this will suck).

Juno (this looks cute, and has Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Rainn Wilson and Jennifer Garner).

A gift from Moby

This is really cool - Moby has an area on his site where videographers/filmmakers of any level or purpose can download tracks of his to use in their videos. The only condition is that the music is not used in commercial projects (a Creative Commons type approach).

This is a really amazing gift - some of the tracks are hauntingly beautiful, as fans of the Play LP know.

Funny things I heard on Saturday

I had to share these...

On Saturday morning, I volunteered with a group of law students who painted a disabled man's home (through an organization that helps link volunteers with people in need of this type of assistance).

You know me and physical labor/exertion - by the end of it I wanted to die (it was hot, and the house wasn't prepped by the organization (if only the home were made of stucco. No, the home was made of deteriorating wood and we had to scrape off a good portion of the old paint before we could paint it anew).

Anyway, I shouldn't be bitching so much. I linked up with a few friends from class to work on one section of the house and we had a few laughs. At one point, one of the guys (who cracks my shit up) is debating whether he should go to the alley behind the house to take a leak (lovely). I mention how unfortunate it would be to be arrested for indecent exposure while he's out here volunteering. His response? "It's decent," he says. And by "it" - well, you know what he was referring to.

At another point we had to put some caulking around the edge of a window frame. Well none of us could let it go unnoticed that you pronounce it "cocking." Yes! I love that I'm finding all of my dirty-minded kindred spirits.

After the caulking was done and was drying, my bladdery friend says "it looks like someone [inaudible] all over the window." My ears perked up - "What?" I said. "Oh, you heard that, huh? Skeet, skeet."

Then, later that day I met up with some other friends for a much-needed drink. My classmate was filling me in on the dating history of another person who was there and mentioned that "he dated [name omitted] for a while, in the 'rugburns on the shoulders' kind of way." NICE! I'd like to date someone in that kind of way, too.

24: Day 7 Trailer tomorrow

Hey y'all - the trailer for season 7 hits the interwebs tomorrow at 10am (Pacific)!

I believe we're going to see Jack (of course), Chloe and Soul Patch. I'm going to assume with Zombie Almeida back in the mix, this new season should be better than the last. Can't wait!

Free Love on the Freelove Freeway

I might be losing my mind, but I needed a Ricky Gervais fix tonight. My two favorite scenes from The Office (British version) are here and here. Well, I should say, this is my true favorite.

Ventura surrounded by fire

Malibu is getting the most attention, but apparently there are fires east/northeast of Ventura as well. I havent' heard of any evacuations in Ventura county yet, let's hope the find a way to contain these... Here's a satellite pic:

Cute little Michael Cera...

Some peeps recommended "Clark and Michael" to me but I've only recently had the chance to check it out. I'm loving it of course. If you liked Arrested Development, you'll like Clark and Michael. Enjoy!

Remember when MTV played videos?

At least we have YouTube and whatnot... Thought I'd share these:

A music video (for Cold War Kids) recast as a trailer for (what could be) a 60s-era French "new wave" film.


The White Stripes & Michel Gondry:


Bjork & Stephane Sednaoui:


Last one... another by Michel Gondry. I heard somewhere that this video was filmed as one continuous shot. If that's true, pretty coolio.

Hipster Olympics

This is hilarious. Hipster Olympics in Brooklyn, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon of course. I laughed out loud at the "First to the ATM to see if the check your parents sent has cleared yet" section of the race...

More from Comedy Central

Check out this post about The Daily Show's efforts to put all of its episodes online. A few old school samples are embedded in the post - including the first show Jon Stewart did after 9/11.

Colbert throws his hat in the ring.

Stephen Colbert has announced his plans to run for President. Here are some snippets from the article:

Shortly before making the announcement, Colbert appeared on "The Daily Show" (the show which spawned Colbert's spin-off) and played cagy, claiming he was only ready to consider a White House bid.

He entered the studio set pulled by a bicycle pedaled by Uncle Sam and quickly pulled out a bale of hay and a bottle of beer to show that he was "an Average Joe."

Colbert said his final decision would be announced on a "more prestigious show," which turned out to be his own.

The comedian said he would run as both a Democrat and Republican. He earlier explained the strategy: "I can lose twice." He claimed three running mate possibilities: Colbert-Huckabee, Colbert-Putin or Colbert-Colbert.

Lastly, did you see Colbert's attack on Powell's Books?

On women.

There have been some things mulling around in my brain for a while now, and I figured it was time to get them down in writing.

Part One.

When I embarked on law school, I thought a lot about my great-grandmother. She is an inspiration to me; she faced incredibly difficult times in her life, but always remained a warm, loving, generous and happy person. I always think of her when I get down on myself, or angry, or disappointed with people. I think, what would Cha-Cha do? (I gave her this nickname as a toddler, because she used to dance with me and say "cha-cha-cha.") She inspires me to be a kind person, no matter what comes my way. (Not that I always succeed, of course.)


Rosalie at 16, circa 1914.

Rosalie spent the first 8 years of her life in Nova Scotia, before being sent to live with her aunt in a town near Boston. The aunt promised to educate my great-grandmother, but instead turned her into essentially a house servant.

As soon as she could (and possibly not too long after the picture above was taken), Rosalie married my great-grandfather and they moved to Los Angeles in the early 1920s. In the late 20s, or perhaps during the depression, they moved to Ventura (my hometown). I'm not sure on the timeline, though.

My great-grandfather turned out to be a drunk, but he could hold at least hold a job. During the depression they lived on the outskirts of Ventura, near the oil fields (for you VTAers, this is off the avenue near the end of the avenue. If you go there now the housing is essentially shanties (sp?)). Things turned a corner financially in the early 40s, when they bought a house in downtown Ventura (which is still owned by my grandmother).

My great-grandparents had four children: Robert, Margaret, Jeremiah, and Catherine (my grandma).

Bob and Jerry each volunteered for the army during WWII. Bob went first and was sent to recently-liberated France. There are letters that he sent home detailing his days of boredom, which he spent drinking and gambling with soldiers and French locals. I'll be reproducing those on this blog at some point.

Jerry was sent to Asia, and was captured in the Phillipines by the Japanese. He was a prisoner of war for three years and just missed the Bataan death march. He was allowed to send some correspondence back home, but it was clearly censored (I'll blog about that too, at a later point). He was liberated once Japan surrendered.

Margaret got married when Bob was in Europe and Jerry was missing in action. She became pregnant, but during childbirth she and her baby girl died. It's really heartbreaking I could never have met her. She seemed fun, beautiful, and radiant.

My great-grandmother survived all of this tragedy, and still somehow remained a loving, warm, kind person throughout her life. She was my best friend when I was little. She was the cutest little thing.


Cha-Cha and me, late 1970s.


Cha-Cha, 1980s.


Part Two.

Last week, a woman I worked with at Peachpit passed away. She had been diagnosed with brain cancer the year prior. It was aggressive and it acted fast. She was about 50 when she passed away; much too young to lose one's life.

There have been some lovely sentiments expressed here and here, and I encourage you to read about Marjorie.

One thing Marjorie loved were well-written obituaries. When I still worked at Peachpit, I remember she cut out some of the obits she found (often in the NY Times) and tacked them up on the outside of her cubicle. She loved to read them. So in her honor, here's my stab at an obituary that I hope, if she were to come across it in the paper, she would cut out and put up in her cubicle.

Marjorie Baer, "the editor's editor" to colleagues, passes too soon.

Marjorie Baer was the editorial ambassador to Peachpit's author community. She relished in those early stages of the book process - learning something new from a passionate expert; putting a sparkle in their eye by asking them to write a book about it; and understanding how to turn that great idea into a fabulous book.

It was not only her ability, but her style: Marjorie instilled confidence in her authors and colleagues not through direct statements, but by gently intimating and demonstrating the way to success. She cared deeply that those around her were successful in their endeavors.

Marjorie epitomized Berkeley elegance. Always graceful but never stuffy. She took time to brew loose tea in a lovely ceramic teapot - I envied that lavendar teapot. She was forever peeling the fresh fruit she bought from Monterey Market or Berkeley Bowl in meetings. Sensing you needed a little afternoon pick-me-up, she would casually pass you a few wedges of grapefruit or tangerine across the conference table. I can still remember how good those citrus fruits would smell after she peeled them.

Marjorie loved movies, watercolor, photography, and fall leaves. The next time you notice the leaves have changed color and are gracefully falling to the ground, think of Marjorie. She would have wanted to share that beauty with you, too.

It's been a week.

I got into a heated discussion (read: argument) with a fellow 1L yesterday. Oopsie, there went my plan for staying under the radar!

My approach to law school has been to stay focused, limit who I talked to so that I could be sure to maintain a positive mindset, and overall try to enjoy this crazy experience.

Living in a red state for the first time, I did not want to be dismissed as the liberal nutjob by my more conservative peers. But, a girl has limits, and in the immortal words of Patrick Swayze, "nobody puts baby in a corner."

So, here's what happened:

I'm in the hallway outside my professor's office, waiting for the professor to end her student meeting so that I can pick something up from her.

Then, a friend walks up and we start chatting. This friend is native american, and the conversation turns to whether she might want to practice indian law, and some of the lobbying work she did prior to school to help a case against an organization they believe was funding racist groups.

While this is going on, another student walks up and waits (he was also waiting for the professor). He doesn't say anything, but just listens to what we're talking about. I've never talked to this person before but he is in a few of my classes.

Then my friend needs to leave, and as soon as she is out of earshot, the exchange with him begins:

Him: It's always interesting when they want their rights considered, but they never consider the other side.
[His tone suggested that as a fellow white person, I would understand his statement.]
Me: I don't know what you mean.
Him: They always put things in their perspective and expect their side to be heard, but they are not willing to consider whites' rights.
Me (thinking, "oh jesus, here we go."): I don't think she was saying that at all (then I went through the things we were talking about - most of which he had missed because he wasn't even there - including problems relating to prosecuting crimes committed by non-indians on tribal lands, and the litigation thing she worked on).
Him: [The organization mentioned above] is not racist.
[At this point, another student was present and thankfully he was interjecting.]
Other Student: But most nationalist groups are.
Him: That's true, and I'm not saying I support [that organization]. But they just generalize and try to say that all white people are racist.
Me: She wasn't saying that at all. I mean, I'm white, so if she was trying to say that all white people are racist why would she say that to me?
Other Student: Right.
Him: Do you have kids, or do you want kids?
Me (thinking this was a weird tangent): I don't have kids, and I don't know if I will.
Him: Well, when you have a son, and he's white, and he can't get in to the school he wants, you'll understand (he ended this with a slight wink, giving off the impression that I was naive, and once I popped out a kid and had some epiphany I would wisen up and understand his perspective.)
Me (heat rising up the back of my neck): I'm 32 years old. I know what my beliefs are. There have been barriers in my life and I worked around them.
[At this point he rolls his eyes which I interpret to mean that I had breaks because I'm a woman.]
Me: You think that I got in to law school because I'm a woman? (I know I was making a leap here, but if there was a chance this was his point I had to say something.) The majority of our class is men!

At this point my professor opened the door, and I ended the convo with the student and picked up what I needed from the professor. He then went in to meet with her and I continued talking to the Other Student outside her office before heading off the library to badmouth him to some people.

I was really worked up from this exchange with him. I was offended that because I was white, he assumed I would join in on a racist exchage (this has happened to me before and it's sick) - and that he said it after my friend was out of earshot. Then, even though he's probably 10 years younger than me, he has the effing gaul to tell me that because I don't have children I really don't understand how the world works. Then (if I interpreted him correctly) my presence at the law school means I stole a spot from another white male who was more deserving.

I just kept thinking: who the f*** does he think he is?

The majority of our class is men (60%) when the national average for law schools is 50:50 or 51% women. Further, the majority of men in my class are white. So I'm sorry, how are they at a disadvantage? Because it's not 100% male and white? Umm, maybe my ovaries were not the deciding factor when it came to admitting me. Perhaps I'm just smarter or more accomplished than other white, male candidates. What a frickin' concept.

But, I had a good chat about it with some friends and I feel better about the whole thing now. In fact (and this is switching gears), I'm hoping you can meet some of my friends if you ever come visit! There's one friend I've nicknamed "Resident Polish Sexpot" (she's polish, married but hot for all the young guys - and she's 34). She gave herself the nickname "Mormon Schicksa" because all the young mormon boys are nice to her. She was a sympathetic ear yesterday. I think we talked for three hours in the library about the people at school we are currently hating. It was a lovely way to work out the anger!

PS: Happy Birthday Chris Carter, a fellow 13'er.

TiVo continues to surprise me

According to my TiVo thingie, Lynne Cheney will be on The Daily Show tonight. WTF?

My professor dropped the f-bomb today.

It's nice when you hope for something and then it happens!

Today in class, when discussing whether courts should create law or wait for Congress to pass legislation, my professor seemed to favor the former when he said that Congress "doesn't know what the f*** it's doing."

I f***ing love this guy.

Dinner and a movie

Fall break is awesome!

I started off the week being very studious, but it seems I caught the slacker bug at Pepperdine and since then haven't been as good. It's Friday now and I still haven't cracked open the Civil Procedure books. Well, there still is today so I shouldn't fret.

I meant to be very well-behaved (school-wise) each day so that I could have guilt-free, fun evenings. But yesterday, I got my haircut at Yamaguchi's which was divine (even saw Billy and he said hello!). So after sitting in a lovely salon for a couple of hours getting pampered and sipping on green tea (out of a real ceramic mug, too) it was hard to face Torts.

Plus, a friend and I had a matinee to catch! We saw Eastern Promises and it was great. I get the Viggo thing, big time now. He was smoldering, tattoos and all. And it wouldn't be a Cronenberg film without a scene where Viggo has to ward off two assassins whilst in the buff. And by that I mean full frontal, kiddies.

We then had an amazing dinner at Brooks, a newish place in Ventura. Yummo! This place was awesome. The design was simple and elegant and it seemed like all the handsome men in Ventura were working there (where do they come from?).

They started the meal with an amuse bouche (having only learned what the hell that is from Top Chef, I will admit to you) of tomato in a citrus vinaigrette. Lovely!

We shared a bottle of their private label pinot noir (we later learned that it was from a winery in Summerland). It was perfectly smooth and light and complimented our entire meal.

The menu was awesome. I tried the limoncello-steamed blue hill mussells to start, and they were very good. They added cream to the broth which was delicious and different, but rich as well.

I had the scallops for my main entree and they were perfectly cooked. It was served with a cactus relish, which I had to try since I have never eaten cactus before (Arizona is really getting in my veins, yeah?). I'm not sure what's it's supposed to taste like, so I'm hesitant to criticize it - but I was hoping the relish would be a little spicier. Also, the cactus was a little viscousy (is this a word?). However, despite these things, the relish and scallops worked well together and the mole vinaigrette that was drizzled on the plate helped to round out the flavor.

Then, I had the most decadent dessert known to man: maytag blue cheese cheesecake with a balsamic vinegar reduction. Sounds weird, right? No - it was delicious! It was mostly savory but there were a few hints of sweetness in it and it was incredible. I had to keep myself from licking the plate.

So, now I'm sipping coffee and have daytime plans again (beginning yoga class (!) and lunch with a friend). I'm sure I'll be able to justify the slacking today, as well. This is why we have a break I suppose - to have some fun and "recharge the batteries"? Well, that's what I'm telling myself.

Pepperdine law library

Sooo, I went down to Malibu yesterday to do some research at Pepperdine's law library.

First off, it's beautiful in Malibu and the campus is lovely - it's on a bluff overlooking the ocean. How people study in such an environment is baffling to me.

The parking was free, which was a nice perk. The law library was kind of empty, I thought, given that it was a mid-week afternoon. I noticed that a lot of books were strewn across a lot of different tables. I don't know if they are short on staff to re-shelve them? I thought that was weird, and would suck if you were a student and needed to find those books!

And, not to be bitchy but: the library was so effing depressing! It was a brown palace (brown paneling, brown tables, brown booksheves, brown chairs) and had very few windows. I now really appreciate the law library at ASU!

Luckily I was looking for things that no one else needed, although as I roamed the stacks of old ALRs I did come across some roaming 1Ls who were working on a research assignment out of the Sloan Research Workbook, which is just this little paperback volume that gives you mini-research projects to help you navigate through the library.

I don't know if all the students were like the ones I saw, but I noticed some serious slack-a-liciousness. I mean, I know that if you are not a stellar student but have lots of ducats at your disposal, Pepperdine is your school, but I was still surprised to see what looked like characters straight of out of Superbad or Knocked Up roaming the aisles.

Old School Pic of the Day (4)

I think this is from 1999.

Notice all the short hair cuts on the gals! I think we were inspired by Scully.

And Winter (the boy pictured) is our "Huckleberry Finn" type friend. Not that that explains his hair in this pic.

Radiohead: Pay what you want

The interwebs have been a-buzz about Radiohead's latest experiment: you can download their new LP on October 10 and it's up to you to decide how much you want to pay for it. In Rainbows is the first LP they will have released on their own, with no record label involvement.

It's great to see more artists (including those I love, like Radiohead) try new ways to distribute music in these modern times. Who knows what will work, but I'm glad they are resisting the criticism by the retailers or other purveyors of the old system (just like Steven Soderbergh did when he released Bubble on DVD on the same day it opened in theaters).

Don't get me wrong, I loves me a great record store or a great movie theater, but I also recognize that something has to give when it comes to copyright in the digital universe.