Monday, July 30, 2012

Booing the MVP, punk rock v. Putin and a "Shining" prequel

- The time may have come for Fox to revisit its short-lived drama “Prison Break” with a slightly different slant. Whereas the four-season run of the drama led by Wentworth Miller featured men trying to break out of prison, “Prison Break-In” could be all about the exploits of Hamilton, Ohio resident Tiffany R. Hurd, whose main goal in life seems to be sneaking in to a correctional facility. Hurd has been arrested for trying to sneak into a county jail and telling authorities to arrest her after she was caught trying to climb over a barbed-wire fence at the rear of the Butler County Jail in Hamilton, near Cincinnati. Fences at prisons are typically constructed and designed with the intent of keeping inmates from getting out, but this has to be one of the first times anyone has tried to break in. Hurd’s attempted reverse escape occurred Sunday morning arrest came after jail staff told Hurd to leave the property when she was spotted attempting to scale the fence. Rather than accept the mulligan life was trying to give her, Hurd refused and attempted to climb the fence again. Amazingly enough, deputies say she was intoxicated at the time. Even for a drunk person, this is an act of stupidity on an entirely different level. Being drunk is supposed to remove inhibitions and allow someone’s hidden self to emerge, but who harbors a secret desire to break IN to jail? Hurd was arrested on misdemeanor charges of criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct and received her wish to see the inside of a jail prior to her arraignment Monday………..


- Even with Hollywood’s ever-growing penchant for remakes, sequels and prequels, did anyone ever expect it to come to this? Even people who know little about classic films know that "The Shining" is considered by many to be one of the best and most terrifying movies of all-time. The 1980 film is based on the 1977 book by Stephen King and featured Jack Torrance (played memorably by Jack Nicholson) coming to serve as caretaker at the Overlook Hotel in Colorado after a previous caretaker murdered his family and committed suicide, and the hotel is full of ghosts of previous visitors. Yes, technology has come a long, long way since 1980 and the effects that could be used to enhance the film are impressive, but that doesn’t mean an update is needed. Yet Warner Bros., which made the 1980 film, is considering making a prequel to "The Shining." The studio has already tasked producers to work on the idea and although there is no formal commitment to the project yet, it’s only a matter of time. Laeta Kalogridis, who wrote the script for the Leonardo DiCaprio film "Shutter Island," is among those working on the idea. Coincidentally, King is hard at work on "Doctor Sleep," a sequel to "The Shining," featuring a grown-up Danny Torrance. Reports have suggested that the book will be published in 2013, but the film would obviously take a little longer with no script in place, no director attached to the project and nothing more than a pipe dream for a studio seeking an easy cash grab that already has some fans of the original film lashing out angrily………


- Microsoft, the maker of the world’s worst operating system, is always looking for ways to compensate for how much the latest incarnation of Windows sucks. Its next attempt to do so is the upgrading of its Touch Mouse to give upcoming Windows 8 users a helping hand. Both the Touch Mouse and the Explorer Touch Mouse already support horizontal as well as vertical scrolling, meaning users who “upgrade” to Windows 8 (only an upgrade if your current OS is a dry erase board) will be able to continue to use both devices just as they are. However, Microsoft is introducing a new set of gestures designed specifically to help users navigate the poorly designed setup of Windows 8. To access the new gestures, users will need to download Microsoft's new Device Center, a program that can take full advantage of the altered mice and keyboard. The center is currently available as a beta for the Windows 8 Release Preview and provides the capability to control the speed and acceleration of vertical scrolling. In another shameless attempt to rip off ideas from Apple, the new Windows mouse system will also support one-finger swiping to scroll up and down and a two-finger movement to manage apps. It will also display the Charms bar, a three-finger movement to zoom in and out of the screen, and even a thumb gesture to move forward and backward from one app to another. The changes appear to be, on some level, a response to some PC users who say the new Metro interface doesn't lend itself well to mouse and keyboard. Those users should probably trade in their PC for a computer with a logo on it that looks like a piece of fruit with a bite taken out of it………..


- The battle of Pussy Riot vs. Putin is far from over. The all-female Russian punk rock trio is locked in a legal struggle with the regime of despotic dictator Vladimir Putin after they entered Christ the Savior Cathedral in February, where they staged an impromptu performance of a song whose lyrics call on the Virgin Mary to throw Putin from power. They were arrested for their performance and on Monday, they pleaded not guilty to charges of hooliganism for staging a punk-rock protest against The Man. Christ the Savior is Moscow’s main cathedral and has undoubtedly never seen a performance quite like the one is hosted that February day, but clearly not everyone appreciates a good act of punk rock defiance. The trio were arrested in March and have been awaiting trial while in jail. They did show some contrition during Monday’s hearing when they expressed remorse that people were offended by their performance, but added that they would not accept the charges. Their efforts did not succeed in keeping Putin from officially returning to power by “winning” a rigged election that moved him from the prime minister’s seat back to the president’s chair. If convicted on the hooliganism (always fun to say or write) charges, the three punk rockers face up to seven years in prison. This level of notoriety is impressive for a band that just formed last October and has quickly become known for its intense hatred of Putin……….


- Life isn’t always peachy for the MVP. Defending American League Most Valuable Player Josh Hamilton may be on a first-place team, tied with Miguel Cabrera for the American League lead with 83 RBI and second in the AL in home runs with 28, but he is getting heat from both his boss and the people whose ticket and merchandise purchases help pay his salary. The Texas Rangers slugger was criticized by Rangers president and CEO Nolan Ryan early last week and after during 0-for-4 in a loss to the White Sox Friday night in which he contributed with a sacrifice fly and an RBI ground out, he heard a round of boos after he struck out in the third and fifth innings. Hamilton, who also confirmed a few weeks ago that his amazing life story of overcoming drug and alcohol addiction, admitted after the game that he wasn’t happy about being booed in his home ballpark. However, he conceded that it comes with the territory in being a superstar. Yeah, I noticed but it’s all about what have you done for me lately, no matter who you are,” Hamilton said. “That’s what it is. There are more fans that are still cheering and encouraging me than the ones that are booing. “I pray for the ones that are [booing] and I appreciate the support of the other ones. It’s disappointing. It’s disappointing. It is. I’ll leave it at that.” In a slump that is nearing two months, he is hitting just .190 with seven homers and a 56/18 K/BB ratio in 186 plate appearances since the start of June. During that time, his batting average has plummeted from .368 to .284 overall…………

No comments: