Tele 3110

One of the reasons that I enjoyed 3310 was because we didn't do much. However, I learned a lot from the little we did. With the exception of the PSA campaign, I had fun doing all the assigments- even the reader report was interesting. Even though we had the class at 9:30 in the morning, I didn't mind coming to class because television and film is something I am passionate about. Moreover, it's especially easy to come to a class where everyone else is passionate about the same things you are.


My favorite assigment was the sitcom script. At the beginning of the semester, I was intimidated at the idea of writing a 22 page script; however, once you pitch your idea and write the treatment and beat sheet, writing it is easy. Even though my script might not be the funniest, it was a good experience.


Probably the most important thing that I took away from this class was the fact that if you're serious about becoming a better writer, you always need to be writing. I

Does anyone have any idea how LOST will end?

The latest episode of LOST was not what I expected. I thought I had it all figured out. Locke would be rushed to the hospital after Desmond hit him with a car. Sun and Jin would make a stop there too, since Sun was shot by a stray bullet. Undoubtedly, Jack would be at the hospital since he's a spine surgeon. All was correct. However, I thought that Sawyer would bring Kate with him to the hospital to investigate the shooting at the restuarant- wrong. I didn't take Sayid in account since he's gone crazy as of late, but maybe I should have. I thought they would all be reunited and remember the other universe that they're living. This is the problem/great thing about LOST - all the speculation. You say to yourself that you will just enjoy the last few episodes of a great series; however, you know you won't. You will continue to theorize and try to guess what will happen to everyone. Will Smocke prevail? Who will Kate end up with (I don't care about this question, at all)? Will John Locke return? If so, how? Will Widmore die a terrible death? Will Claire be reunited with Aaron?

There are too many questions and the producers have already said that they won't be able to reveal all. Anyone have any idea what was wrong with Walt? I'm stil angry that they never revealed why Walt was special? This season we found out who the smoke monster was, who were the whispers and on Tuesday, we found out that Christian wasn't really Christian, but Smocke.

I could be mad at LOST about the lack of questions they have answered in comparison to how many I thought they would answer, but I can't be mad. Speculating about LOST has been a lot of fun. Even though I am wrong most of the time, it has been great to have heated debates with friends over what will happen next. I have no idea what will happen in these last few episodes. I only hope that Desmond, Penny and Charlie sail off into the sunset together.

Interesting theory about how LOST will end: The end of the final episode will be Jack (as the new Jacob) and Smocke sitting on the beach while Smocke tell Jack how much he wants to kill him.

Also, my brother is convinced that 1) Locke will return. 2) The majority of the main characters will die in the next to last episode, What They Died For.

The Leaked iPhone 4G

I'm not what one would call an 'early adopter'; however, as a huge fan of my iPhone, I was excited to learn that there is a prototype for the new iPhone 4G. I wasn't expecting to find out about the new iPhone via blog posts though. Poor Steve Jobs, Apple is known for their secrecy when it comes to the details of their latest gadget; however, someone really fudged up over the weekend. According to reports on blogs, what looks to be a iPhone 4G prototype was found on the floor of a bar in San Jose. First, how was someone able to carry the prototype out of Apple? Second, who would LEAVE this prototype behind. We all have been guilty of losing our phone, but since I have had my iPhone, I have become exceedingly paranoid of ever losing it. If you know that you have something which is very important, why take it out- especially to a bar! I can safely assume that if Apple finds out who left it, he/she will rightfully be fired.

However, so far there is no proof that the phone is a prototype; however, Apple refused to comment and sent a letter to a media company, which bought the prototype for $5000, to return it to Apple.

Greenberg

Last week I went and saw Greenberg. Noah Baumbach wrote and directed the film starring Ben Stiller and Greta Gerwig. The only other Baumbach film that I have seen is The Squid and the Whale (which thrived on its honest writing). Once again, Baumbach focuses much of his attention on the characters themselves. There's not much action, but that's okay because the movie isn't about what happens to the characters, but what happens between the characters. I am not the biggest fan of Stiller's acting (besides his small role in Reality Bites). However, Stiller as Greenberg does a good job of allowing us to feel both hate and pity towards him. He's not very nice- he's a narcissist who treats people terribly, but he's the most cruel when he uses his words like knives. No one experiences a deeper cut then Greta Gerwig as Florence. Florence is the personal assistant to Greenberg's brother. In my opinion, Gerwig was perfectly cast as the soft spoken and naive love interest for Greenberg. From the first few moments of the film, you know exactly what kind of girl Florence is (there's a great scene in the first few minutes when she's quietly begging for a car to let her in). Moreover, Gerwig's appearance makes her both approachable and beautiful, just the kind of girl that we root for in movies.

Greenberg's bluntness and Florence's easy going nature speeds up their new relationship. Soon they find themselves somewhere between a relationship and not. Their relationship reflects Greenberg's moods. When he's okay, it's okay. However, when he begins to feel smothered he becomes cruel. Even though he's 'seeing' Florence, he asks his newly divorced ex-girlfriend out on a date. In his mind, he can do better than Florence. However, we're reminded throughout the movie that Florence is the one that could do much better.

Similar to The Squid and The Whale, Baumbach touches on the real life complexities of human nature. None of the characters or their relationships with one another are simple. You have Greenberg and Florence, who if they knew better, wouldn't waste their time with the other. However, for some unexplainable reason, they like each other. Similar to Greenberg and Florence's relationship, Greenberg experiences similar problems with his best friend, Ivan (Rhys Ifans). Just when their band was about to sign a record label, Greenberg unexpectedly bails and moves to New York to become a carpenter. When Greenberg, now 40, returns to Los Angeles, he is forced to face the damages his decision had on others, more specifically, Ivan.

Greenberg reconnects with a broken Ivan, who has recently separated from his wife, who he met in rehab and credits his recovery to her (throughout the film Greenberg is vocal about his dislike for her). Although Ivan does not blame Greenberg for his problems, his resentment is subtly made evident. One thinks that they're only friends now because they once were best friends. They are more friends of obligation then true friends. Slowly, Ivan realizes this fact and their final confrontation leaves their relationship unsettled.

Similar to relationships in real life, Baumbach leaves all the relationships unresolved and we are left uncertain as to what will happen in the future.

Andy Rooney

As I was watching Andy Rooney's latest topic of discussion on 60 minutes, I realized that Andy Rooney has the greatest job. For about 3 minutes every Sunday, CBS allows Andy an outlet to express his complaints. This past Sunday he had a grievance against people who want time to fly. Unlike most, Rooney prefers the days that drag on. He did make a solid point against the people who think too far in advance that they miss the present. Another memorable Andy Rooney moment happened when he was complaining about the sales people that repeatedly bother you in the stores. When I was little I thought that Andy Rooney was nothing more than a grumpy, old man. Now that I am a little older and a lot more cynical, I realize that Andy says some very true things. Sometimes he sounds a bit dated, but for the most part, what he says is the truth. His segments serve as a modern day column. However, I don't necessarily view Andy Rooney as a journalist. I know that he used to be one in WWII, but now it seems that he's settled into his position as a commentator/satirist.

Random

My lack of posts is directly due to my boredom towards my selected topic. Also, I'm assuming my fellow classmate have become bored as well. Due to all this boredom I have decided to change my blog topic in hopes to increase your interest, but more importantly, my interest in my own blog. I am a fan of spontaneity so I have decided to write about random thoughts that I experience.

The first random post of my new blog is about J.J. Abrams' tendency to recycle plots, actors and music. I never noticed this until I became of fan of his later work, more specifically, Alias and LOST. J.J. Abrams also does this in his films, MI3 and Star Trek.

I have been a huge fan of Abrams since I first watched Felicity. To my knowledge, Felicity was his first television series, or at least successful one. There's a love triangle, time travel (4th season) and a lot of Sarah Mclachlan music. For Alias, Abrams hired Jennifer Garner (she played Hannah in Felicity) as the lead for his new series. Additionally, his school buddy, Greg Grunberg, has a small part in Alias (He had a supporting role in Felicity). Since I am a Felicity nerd I also noticed that Felicity's art teacher has a very small role in one of the episodes during the first season. Abrams also uses a lot of the same music including Mclachlan and Ryan Adams. Also, similar to Felicity, there is somwhat a love triangle between the girl, the guy best friend and her soul mate.

This love triangle also occurs in LOST, a show that Abrams co-created. Like Felicity, there is also time travel. Except LOST's use of time travel is a lot more intricate than in Felicity. Greg Grunberg also shows up as the Pilot in one of the first episodes. The man who plays John Locke had a role in Alias as a CIA agent.

As for his films, there is time travel in Star Trek and the woman who played Megan on Felicity has a small role. In MI3, Keri Russell (Felicity) is killed in the first 15 minutes.

This probably is not important to most of you, but perhaps fellow Abrams fans will find his reuse of everything interesting. I'm not sure whether I would say that these are Abrams TV and film "signatures" or whether Abrams is just a loyal guy who likes what he likes. Maybe he's a bit of both.

A Clockwork Orange

I watched A Clockwork Orange for the first time this week. Quite an interesting movie. It is interesting to see the music, especially Beethoven, take on a role itself. Beethoven's image is seen in Alex's room and even a Beethoven bust is used in one of the fight scenes. I especially liked how they turned his ninth symphony- one of Alex's greatest pleasures, into something that caused his so much pain. The weird futuristic music is a bit cheesy, but it probably wasn't back in 1971. For someone who seems tasteless, Alex does a great taste in classical music.