Ananas

No fucking way.

John Mayer - Continuum Outkast - Idlewild (Soundtrack) Donald Fagen - Morph the Cat Prince - 3121 The Streets - The Hardest Way to Make An Easy Living Nas - Nasir Bin Olu Dara Dizzee Rascal - TBA Jurassic 5 - TBA Radiohead - TBA Oasis - TBA Probably more that I'm not thinking of.

The ratings are good news and bad news. The bad news is that the show came in at 4th on the hour, with half-hours of 4.7 and 4.9. The good news is that the show did impressive numbers of 3.8 and 4.1 in adults 18-49, which was good enough for second on the hour to the Orange Bowl. If they can maintain those kind of numbers, the network will be faced with quite a dilemna in June. On one hand, Kevin Reilly seems to be anti-Anything Jeff Zucker put on the air. On the other, with Will & Grace ending, Scrubs becomes the network's senior comedy. Reilly's a dick, but is he enough of a dick to cancel Scrubs, leaving himself with a couple of sophomore comedies (this is assuming he makes the obvious move and cuts the overpriced, underperformed Joey)?

Those two episodes are the most off-the-wall they've ever done. The first episode is definitely in the Top 10 they've ever done, and the second might also be up there. Elliott finally seems to have a purpose on the show, and The Todd had 3 or 4 great bits tonight. Great stuff; hopefully the show can ride this momentum to some ratings success. It would be a tragedy for Scrubs and Arrested Development to be cancelled in the same year.

The second hasn't been nearly as strong as the first, but it's still head and shoulders better than The O.C..

Pony was awesome tonight. The give and go with Stajan was all his doing. Aki Berg had a surprisingly solid game tonight, at least from where I was watching. Eddie is continuing to look surprisingly sober these days; hopefully having Telqvist there to give him some nights off will keep that going. McCabe had the usual bullet from the point, but at times I wish he'd go back to being the more defensively sound, stay at home player he used to be. Czerkawski and Kilger were non-issues tonight, which is especially bad for Czerkawski, who's going to have his work cut out for him staying in the lineup once Lindros, Antropov, Steen and Allison get back. It was a fun game, and a great atmosphere to be in the crowd for (although obviously not as hostile as when the Leafs go to Buffalo ).

Four Brothers - 6/10 There's nothing particularly gripping about this film, but like "Man On Fire", it's not the reason for the revenge itself which makes this film worthy of recommendation but rather the way it's taken out. All four of the film's stars dive head first into their roles, which make up for their performances descending into silliness at points. The film also boasts a strong supporting cast, which includes Chiwetel Eijofor, Terrence Howard, Sofia Vergara and Kenneth Welsh. This isn't first class cinema, but if you're into the cast, like John Singleton or just want a solid departure for the night, Four Brothers is worth the rental. Thumbs up. Batman Begins - 8.5/10 You know, while Tim Burton may have scored a couple of hits at the helm of the Batman franchise, he never really made a film that garnered across the board praise from critics and fanboys alike. Michael Keaton was an acceptable Batman, but he came across as less the scarred hero and more the arrogant playboy moonlighting as a superhero. This 5th film in the series, which has been described as a prequel of sorts to the earlier films, actually does more to completely recreate the series as one not so much steeped in absurd, over the top action sequences, lame humour and big budget overcompensations, but rather compelling performances, sharp characterization and sharp direction. Coming from director Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia) this is anything but a shock, but in a year filled with such overwhelming mediocrity, Batman Begins stands out. Christian Bale is spectacular as Bruce Wayne, and he is flanked by some of the greatest talents in the industry. If you have absolutely any interest in the action movie genre, this is appointment viewing. Thumbs way up.

I'm not going to suggest that the Jays are the 2nd best team in the East yet, but I completely disagree with the notion that Roy Halladay is injury prone. Halladay had shoulder tendinitis in 04 which was really just one part of an overall tough year for him. The 05 injury isn't at all reflective of that, however. Taking a fucking line drive off the shin would have put anybody in the league down.

I loved both, preferred the series. However I saw Firefly before Serenity, so that might have something to do with my preference. You'll probably take more from the film if you've seen the series, so I'd recommend picking it up, especially considering how cheap its become.

Brad Mehldau's new album "Day Is Done" is an awesome blend of more mainstream haarmonies and a technical range comparable to piano greats like Bill Evans and Dave Brubeck. Check out the title track.

The Maple Leafs are the most popular team in hockey. Get over it. The CBC may be a crown corporation but it's still got a bottom line.

Sounds like Glaus for Hudson and Batista is a near certainty. Can't say we've no home run power now.

The Barenaked Ladies do an awesome version of "Jingle Bells", and on the same album they've got a decent "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" featuring Sarah McLachlan. Continuing the Canadian trend, "Maybe This Christmas" by Ron Sexsmith is awesome, and for some Yankee flavour, "Christmas Is Going To the Dogs" by Eels.

That's what, 5 members the Landers sisters have lost over the years? They should start their own supergroup.

The Producers - 4/10 My biggest gripe today with Hollywood today is its constant need for regeneration. With "The Producers" we have an idea that initially enjoyed critical success in its first run, as a film starring Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel. It was then resurrected on Broadway in 2001 as a musical so successful that after a brief recess, the play's real life producers paid out the ear to bring the two stars back in a limited run. Those stars were Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, and proving that people just can't let a good thing go, they're back, along with several of the other original cast members, for "The Producers: The Movie Musical", the screen adaptation of the stage adaptation of the original movie. See? Regeneration. Summing up the important details of what I've already said, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick lead this talented cast as two would-be producers who venture to make a profit off of the most offensive and worst musical ever made. Perhaps part of the charm of Broadway is it's ability to tell stories with semi-realistic performers, and the somewhat average voices of the various casts make them more relatable while the grandiose British musicals of the 80's and 90's are overblown and filled with opera stars, and are thus as relatable as the sterile future portrayed in so much science fiction. While this may play perfectly well in front of live audiences, it presents a unique challenge when being adapted to the big screen. If you look at the history of screen musicals and the stars you associate with the genre, you're more likely to call on Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin or Fred Astaire than John Travolta, Catherine Zeta-Jones or Ewan MacGregor. While the latter are perfectly good actors doing musical roles, the former were all classicly trained singers with tremendous voices and decent acting ability. Audiences vary in their expectations when they go into a movie, but the general trend is that when they do choose to see a Hollywood musical, they want to be impressed; not so much by the acting and spoken dialogue, but rather with their singing voices, as well as the choreography. Even with audiences that already appreciate the source material, there is an expectation that if a movie must be made, it ought to expand on that material by making it on a larger scale. On both counts, "The Producers" is a failure. The direction of many of the sequences in this film seem like they are filmed segments from the stage play. If the scale of the movie needs to be brought into consideration, then some of the blame for this film needs to be laid on director Susan Stroman, who also directed the stage version. While musicals like "RENT" and "The Phantom Of the Opera" (which both recieved mixed reviews) were able to expand on the look of their respective films to the point that they were almost overwhelming, "The Producers" achieves none of this, and in some sequences even comes off a little bland. For a Mel Brooks comedy, this is not a good thing. The cast tries its best, and although it may not be the most musically gifted to ever be seen on screen, the performances are exciting and original. Too bad the other aspects of filmmaking were so badly neglected. Thumbs down.

Last night I finished East Of Eden by John Steinbeck, which was awesome. These days I don't have much time for anything but the classics; it's so much easier to be reasonably certain that when you pick a book up it'll be worth your while.

Not quite, actually. I never commented on AD. After doing a search to make sure, I did post in the "Arrested Development got cancelled" thread but was asking if Prison Break was going on hiatus for 24. Nothing about AD. I think you are thinking of beatnik.

Well, he did get to see Garden State when it opened, and that one was rather low key. Doesn't Beatnik live in Toronto? He should have indie films in his theatres if that's the case. Last time I checked while chatting with him on MSN, though, he's been working so much he really hasn't had time for the movies. Yeah, I swear to God I'm not his stalker.

I won't even both to do picks this year, because I've seen like, two of the films nominated. In all of the categories. Am I just ridiculously out of touch this year or did they go hardcore indie with the nominations?

I've only seen A History of Violence and Crash from that list, but they're both top 10 for me. Of course, I've only seen like a fifth of the movies I saw last year, so I'm a bit behind.

Harry Potter And the Goblet Of Fire - 7/10 An odd trend has been occurring with the Harry Potter series. While the first three films in the series got progressively better, the box office totals went down with each installment. Interestingly enough, the 4th film of the series continues that trend, but in a different way: while the box office numbers look as if it may eventually become the second highest grossing in the series, it is also a clear step back from Alfonso Cuaran's "Harry Potter And the Prisoner of Azkaban". Now I don't want to sound like I'm reflecting negatively on this film; it's one of the better efforts you're likely to see in theatres this year. The special effects are the best so far, and the young actors have gotten to be considerable assets. The film also benefits from having extremely strong source material, as the original book is considered by many to be the best in the series. However, it seems the book's length may have taken its toll on screenwriter Steve Kloves and director Mike Newell; while fast moving and exciting, the film glosses over so many important details that the viewer feels detached at times throughout the film. It is a slippery slope to assume the viewer has read the original source material, and as such many movie-goers will likely have trouble following the plot of the film, which clocks in at just over 2 and a half hours. It also clearly lacks the even handed direction of Alfonso Cuaran, who could be at one moment whimsical and the other brooding. This film has murky direction, and while it may be a treat to watch visually, there seemed to be few dimensions to how Newell tells his story. Nevertheless it's undoubtedly going to be a favorite for fans, and while non-fans may lose the plot at points, it's worth the price of admission nonetheless. Thumbs up.

Jays are having a great offseason. First we get Ryan, now AJ Burnett; the pitching staff is looking really good at this point with Halladay, Burnett, Chacin and the top two of Josh Towers, David Bush, Ted Lilly and Scott Downs. You've got Ryan closing, Speier as the set-up man, and with Miguel Batista now a possible trade, Kevin Mench possibly coming to town. If that deal happens, it's going to be a completely different ball club next year.