- I can see where Michael Vick was going with his suggestion that owning a dog would be a good thing for him, but at the same time it’s probably something he should have kept to himself for right now and probably forever. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback said Wednesday that he wants to own a dog again someday despite being banned from ever owning another dog by the federal judge who sentenced him to 23 months in federal prison for operating a dogfighting ring in which underperforming animals were typically killed in brutal fashion, such as drowning or electrocution. "I would love to get another dog in the future. I think it would be a big step for me in the rehabilitation process," Vick said. I can see where he was going with those comments because perhaps he feels some guilt for all of the dogs he abused and killed and also because he realizes that it would show how far he has come if he were able to own a dog and treat it properly. "I think just to have a pet in my household and to show people that I genuinely care, and my love and my passion for animals; I think it would be outstanding. If I ever have the opportunity again I will never take it for granted. I miss having a dog right now. I wish I could. My daughters miss having one, and that’s the hardest thing; telling them that we can’t have one because of my actions," Vick continued. All of that is great, but at the same time, Vick is less than two years removed from prison and even if he or his kids badly want a dog, saying so isn’t going to evoke a positive reaction from most anyone. A few truly forgiving, open-minded souls will appreciate the sentiment, but even those willing to give him a second chance on the football field probably would double-clutch on the notion of allowing him to own a dog. He might even be a good dog owner, but a) he’s banned from owning one and b) paying your debt to society and being able to resume your football career doesn’t mean that you should be in possession of the very animals that you once killed. While Vick has enjoyed a resurgence this season for the 9-4 Eagles, and has 17 passing and seven rushing touchdowns that rank him as one of the top candidates for MVP (another intense debate in its own right), telling everyone that he would like to own another dog some time in the future is going to go over just about as poorly as a Rosie O’Donnell swimsuit calendar…………
- See, this is why I don’t go to the ballet. Well, this and the fact that ballet bores the living sh*t out of me on account of classical music and people in ridiculous outfits pirouetting around the stage and dancing while standing on their toes. But the fact that I might show up for a recital (performance? event? concert?) and have the orchestra be AWOL is another major concern on my part and it’s a close second. That plight have befallen ballet fans in Louisville who bought tickets to see the Louisville Ballet perform a holiday classic, “The Nutcracker.” They bought those tickets under the impression that the Louisville Orchestra would be there to score the performances and provide a mesmerizing musical bed for the boring ballet on stage. That arrangement worked out perfectly…..right up to the point where the Louisville Orchestra filed for bankruptcy. What that means for ballet goers is that they will be watching a ballet performed to recorded music and more than a few of these culture lovers aren’t happy with that solution. Some of them want refunds, saying say they are not getting what they paid for. Those demands have been shot down by the ballet officials, who insist that they are not going to take a financial hit for something they had no control over. They aren’t about to refund anyone’s money when families are paying upwards of $200 to see the ballet perform. Fortunate patrons saw the ballet on or before Dec. 12, when the Louisville Orchestra quit playing because it filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Their absence casts a black cloud over Tchaikovsky's famous Nutcracker score, which the Louisville Ballet has performed for years. Executive director Dwight Hutton said the show would go on with recorded music and that the speakers around Whitney Hall would be an acceptable substitute. "We have gotten very few objections to this," Hutton said, adding that the ballet has a strict no refund policy. His perspective may be slightly biased because he was a dancer for 20-plus years and believes that the dancers are the real stars, not the music. He then hid behind the excuse that the Louisville Ballet is facing the same financial difficulties as the rest of the nation and can't afford to take a financial punch to the junk for something that is not its fault. Whatever you say, Hutton. Just another reason for me not to go to the ballet………
- Now that Batman, Superman, the X-Men, Iron Man and other comic book icons have succeeded on the big and small screens in recent years, the rush is on to find the next comic book (no, not graphic novel, comic book dorks) hero who will be a hit in the world of television or movies. “Twilight" screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg believes she has that next crossover star in the form of edgy female Marvel character Jewel/Jessica Jones, she of “AKA Jessica Jones” quasi-fame. Rosenberg is the writer and exec producer on "AKA Jessica Jones," which is in development for fall 2011 at ABC. ABC is riding the superhero wave in a big way, as the network is also in the early stages of an "Incredible Hulk" series (because two bad remakes starring Eric Bana and Edward Norton wasn’t enough overkill). "AKA Jessica Jones" will become Marvel Television's first official project for ABC once the deal is finalized. With it, Rosenberg will also launch her company, Tall Girls Productions. Up to this point, she is best-known for being a former executive producer on "Dexter," which has always had a definite cult following. Rosenberg is starting Tall Girls in order to create and produce projects featuring large, complex female roles - i.e. TV feminism. "AKA Jessica Jones" fits perfectly with that approach. The comic’s protagonist is a superhero ("Jewel") who winds up with post-traumatic stress disorder and gets out of the world-saving business and attempts to stay far away from others gifted with superpowers by opening her own detective agency. However, being a private detective doesn’t satiate her desire to help people and she eventually ends up helping out the very superheroes she was attempting to stay away from. Rosenberg’s fascination with the character stems from the fact that she views Jones as completely different from most female leading roles on network TV: deeply flawed but with a biting sense of humor. Other big names involved with the project are Marvel TV executive Jeph Loeb, Marvel Entertainment chief creative officer Joe Quesada and Marvel Worldwide's Alan Fine. To keep the series as authentic and true to the spirit of the comic books as possible, Brian Michael Bendis, who created the character and the comic book series on which the series is based, is a consultant. Ironically, the comic book series, which launched in November 2001, was titled "Alias," but ABC’s now-retired spy series of the same name starring Jennifer Garner precludes them from using that name for the show. The partnership between Marvel and ABC is likely to continue growing now that the two both operate under the same Disney umbrella. As for the “Incredible Hulk” series, Guillermo del Toro and David Eick are pushing that idea and it seems probable to make it to air at this point. Anything to cater to the fanboy demographic, I suppose……..
- What’s been missing from the ever-simmering tensions in the Middle East? There are disputes over land rights, disputes over alleged human rights violations, religious intolerance…..but what about something extra-terrestrial? That would certainly take things in a different direction. So let’s all turn our rapt attention to Israel and specifically to the Israeli Air Force, which shot down an unidentified flying object over the Dimona nuclear plant in the Negev Desert Thursday. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the incident and explained that the object appeared in a designated no-fly zone. As soon as it was identified, the air force was scrambled and the object was shot down. The obvious question is how, with radars, intelligence sources and technology and the intense scrutiny of everything that moves - organic or not - in the region, no one knows what this object is/was. For now, the IDF is speculating that the object could have been a party balloon, the IDF said, although forces have not yet found the debris to determine what it was. Media reports have speculated that it was a motor-driven object, but I think we can all agree that the idea of the Israeli Air Force being dispatched to shoot down a rogue party balloon is much more amusing. Not that we’ll ever know all of the kooky and in-retrospect-hilarious instances in which some innocuous, random object floats or flies into Israeli air space and is shot down or at least probed by the country’s air force, but the idea of focused, intense and determined pilots screaming across the sky to shoot down a plastic, helium-filled party decoration should be something that we can all get a laugh out of………
- Google has already offended and infuriated many around the world via Google Earth and Street View, meaning it is time for the Web giant to pioneer new frontiers. The next frontier is a lot closer to home than any street map or satellite image could ever be. On Thursday, Google launched the beta version of Body Browser, a three-dimensional model that lets users zoom in and out of the human form, remove layers, and explore the body. Body Browser, which actually sounds like some new porn site, relies on 3D graphics application programming interface WebGL running within a browser. Of course, Google recommends that users download its most recent version of Chrome to use Body Browser. Way to cross-promote your own products, Google. The company does concede that other browsers that work well with Body Browser are Safari and Firefox/4.0b1."Body Browser is a detailed 3D model of the human body," Google said in a written statement. "You can peel back anatomical layers, zoom in, and navigate to parts that interest you. Click to identify anatomy, or search for muscles, organs, bones, and more." Sounds……gross. But that’s coming from a guy who passes out at the sight of more than one drop of blood, so take it for what it’s worth. Body Browser is not a finished product yet and has not yet been officially released, so tweaks are expected as users test the beta version and report bugs and errors. Common errors already reported include unsuccessful attempts to use some of the basic viewing functions of the application. Users can scour the body for muscles, organs, and bones; zoom in and out of every conceivable body part; view connection between parts of the body and inner workings of organs and tissues and share all of that information simply by copying and pasting. Other than being a potential resource for a) pervs and b) those looking for some extra help with a biology project, it’s hard to see how Body Browser is much of an upgrade over any other anatomy tools already available online……….
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