Seasonings!

I've been hearing a lot of yak lately about how fall is here, and how it's so great. I want it clearly on the record, I am not anti-fall. But with all this fall fallderall lately, I thought maybe it was a good chance to review the seasons at-large and toss out some honest observations on each.

We'll start with the first season on the calender itself - Winter!

Winter stinks! Okay, maybe that's not quite as in depth as you would like, but it is the truth for the most part. I have always had this very unscientific theory about those who say, " I love winter!" They're lying. Oh, they may like the first sled riding of the season, the holidays, and all the cheer that goes with that. Some ice skating, skiing, a hot toddie or two, but then the reality of it all sets in like a bad case of dry, cracked feet. The driving, the sliding, the frozen gutters, the ice, the fender-benders, the heating bills, frozen pipes....PLEASE stop me...it'll be here soon enough. Additional theory. If winter was from Thanksgiving till say January 2? No problem. Plenty of time to do all the fun stuff, and then it can be 74 degrees again.

But as luck would have it, winter gives way to - spring!


Spring is schizophrenic. It can't decide what it wants to be. It wages the great annual battle between warm and cold. Someone's gotta do it, and we've given that job to spring because all the other seasons are too smart to take it. 20 or 70 degrees? Snow or rain or sun? We're still in the NBA and NHL Playoffs, plus we've got opening day in the Major Leagues. We've got the lion-lamb thing in March, rain in April, sometime snow in May??? Is the furnace on or off? Does the AC still work? It's 90 today! I can't breathe - the pollen count is 5 million! Easter and Memorial day? Did you give something up this year? When do we change the clocks??? Sheesh, it's tough to be spring. Very complicated stuff. But overall, we must wade through the mandates of season number two to get to the most anticipated season of all for many. Summer!


Summer. Summer's great.


Fall. There are actually 2 falls. There's the now fall, that everyone is all giddy about right now. You know, the high school football fall. Sweatshirts and shorts fall, nice day cool nights fall, beautiful colors fall. We all love that fall, and why not? It's great!


But then comes the "other" fall. The 70 in the morning, 20 at dinnertime fall. The first snow in November that no one was ready for fall. The where's the snow brush fall? Raking leaves till my arms fall off fall, not to mention the filthiest job known to man - cleaning the gutters fall. What kind of masochist likes that fall? But in this case, it probably balances out even-Steven!


Anyway, we are in the first fall now, and it is rather nice. So enjoy, because you know and I know what's next. That annoying guy two cubicles down saying, "Winter is my favorite time of the year!"


He's lying.

MOVIE REVIEW - Surrogates

Bruce Willis has a new movie out this week, Surrogates. Don't blink..you may just miss it! Surrogates is another strange Willis Sc-Fi flick, and maybe the strangest thing of all is it in only 80 minutes. I've seen infomercials longer than this movie. And 80 minutes s being generous. That's from beginning to credit roll at the end.

Surrogates is the fictional story of a new technology that is out. You can buy a beautifully crafted robot that looks totally human to go out in the world and be "you." You control the robot from you home with a headset. You are safe at home while your "Surrogate" goes out into the world and takes all the risks. As a result, crime has virtually disappeared including murder. They have totally takes over society, and everyone human pretty much sits around at home all day in pajamas, and plays "Surrogate" from their comfy chairs, wearing their headsets.

But alas, there is a threat to the Surrogate way of life. There is a new weapon out that can fry the robots, and also the human on the other end running it. This is big trouble as the whole idea of surrogacy is the safety of the humans. Ho-hum! I personally don't care about the humans in this flick. If you spend your life in a chair, playing video games in real life and running this robot so you don't have to go out in the world, I could care less what happens to you, you lazy so-n-so.

And that's just one of the problems here. You just don't care. Not good, not exciting, not suspenseful. It never really gets going. and then it just ...ends. This whole story could have been a single episode of Star Trek or something. There's just not enough here for a movie. They attempt to make it a real story by showing you the ramifications of robots in the world, and the human element. There is an attempt at depth and relevance. But it fails.

Surrogates......a big bag of nothing.

Waiting On The Epiphany

When Kanye West ran on stage last week at the MTV/VMA awards and upstaged Taylor Swift, many of us threw up our hands, dropped our jaws, and wondered what was next. It was the trifecta completed of totally rude, arrogant behavior over the proceeding week.

Congressman Joe Wilson got the ball rolling by screaming, "You lie!" on TV as The President was making a major speech to Congress. Then Serena Williams threatened a line judge at the US Open, with language that would make a sailor blush. Then it was West's turn to flame out on national TV.

Why on earth would people act this way? So unacceptable, so totally different than what should be considered good behavior? Some say they're angry. Angry about what? Congressman Wilson is on our payroll, and has the best benefits known to man. Doesn't sound like grounds to be mad to me. Williams is a millionaire many times over. She's young, beautiful and is a tennis champion. Pretty good again. And West, rich by any standards with millions of fans that love and buy his music. Angry? I don't get it.

So how is it that this continues to happen, with many more episodes undoubtedly coming down the road? It's simple really. We allow it. Maybe not you and me, but as a society we excuse this type of thing time and time again. And that's why it just rolls on and on.

Think about it. All of the mentioned above will just roll on down the road with barely a slap on the wrist. And there are others. Micheal Vick is a great example. The whole dog fighting thing. Great, he went to jail, and he served his time no doubt. But he comes out to a standing ovation in Philadelphia at a pre-season game on national TV. Manny Ramirez in baseball. Caught red handed taking steroids years after the whole scandal should have been long over. He too, got standing ovations after his suspension, and he was just, "Manny being Manny!"

Brittany Spears and all her antics with no underwear, and terrible parenting decisions. Countless other steroid taking, bad behaviored, law breaking, terrible example setting celebs and athletes from all across the country continue to live off off this country's disposable incomes.

We excuse much to much sometimes. I am all for forgiveness, as you are too I'm sure. But sometimes, things are just so jaw dropping, it may be best to take a different stand. Let Wilson get a real job, Serena and Kanye too. And there are a bevy of other celebrities that fit into the same wagon. Angry my eye. They're just rude, spoiled, and entitled brats who know there is nothing they can't do, or say.

Don't wait on people like this to have an epiphany, see the light and change their ways anytime soon. Sad to say, they don't have to. We should all have the epiphany, and turn the light on for them.

MOVIE REVIEW - Love Happens

Let's start off by saying this. Don't be fooled by the new Jennifer Aniston flick, Love Happens new this week at the movies. If you're going in thinking this is a romantic comedy, you'll be wrong. And to be fair, it's really not even a Jennifer Aniston flick either.

Love Happens stars Aaron Eckhardt, who plays a fictional motivational speaker, a Dr. Phil type named Burke Ryan. He is bursting upon the scene with books, a TV show, and other media possibilities. His whole thing is you must confront your pain to get passed it. He is dedicated to his craft, and is great at helping others with their emotional pain and helping them get passed it. Trouble is, he won't confront his own, or deal with it. He has major demons in his attic, and they need to be dealt with.

He meets Eloise, (Aniston). She is a florist with a long line of bad romantic decisions in her wake. She meets Burke, and they strike up a friendship while he's in Seattle for one of his motivational workshops. It seems Burke wants more, but he is unable because of his demons. The whole thing gets pretty heavy. Will this work out? Are these two perfect for each other? That's the whole predictable story here. And this movie is very predictable.

If you're going to this movie thinking is a fun, light-hearted romantic comedy, then you're going to the wrong flick. True, it is a love story of sorts, but it is also very heavy, very deep, and not really funny. There are a few "cute" and romantic moments here and there, but this is not When Harry Met Sally or Sleepless In Seattle. You have to be willing to go to the mat with these characters and wade through their pain, and it is extensive, to get to the eventual end you see coming the whole movie.

I am a little annoyed with this movie. The title, the packaging of it. It all points to a light movie, and I'm fine that it's not. But this movie is misrepresented. It's not what they want you to think it is.

It's not even a bad movie. But it's predictable, and formula. Aniston, although a main character, her time on screen is limited, as is Martin Sheen's, who sticks his nose in from time to time. LH also drags a few times, and there a few too many side plots that in their idea are OK, but they spend way too much time on them. It gets a bit too bogged down, and there's a bunch of logrolling here. Come on....move on!

Love Happens. Actually love does happen, you just have to wait two hours, and go through the deep soup of despair to get there. Buyer beware, Love Happens is not a wash out, but it's not what you think it's going to be going in. For me, over all, a miss. A rental in 90 days.

MOVIE REVIEW - The Informant!

Matt Damon stars in the new comedy-drama The Informant!, new this weekend at the box office. This movie is based on a true story form the early 1990's. And because of the story's absolute absurdity, it must be true. You can't write them this crazy.

Meet mark Whitacre (Damon). He is a young executive working in Indiana at the huge food conglomerate ADM. He is a Vice-President, making 350 grand a year. He is married to a seemingly nice woman, with kids too. He seems to have it all. But in essence, he has nothing. He is a "crazy liar." From the movies outset, you can see Marc is not quite right mentally, but you think he's just kind of quirky. But it's much deeper than that.

He sets out on a string of lies to his employer, his family, his past, and even the highest levels of the FBI. All from price fixing, to tax fraud, embezzlement, where he came from, and who his parents are. He becomes and "Informant" for the FBI in an attempt to bring down ADM because of a supposed price fixing scheme. Trouble is, no on can figure out why he wants to do it in the first place. Plus, Marc believes after he brings down the giant, HE'LL be made the companies CEO. He turns out to be the worst informant of all time, and eventually the worst client and attorney ever had as well. I understand this may not sound like a laugh-a-minute movie, and it's not. BUT this is a very entertaining story that will pull you in, and keep you wondering, what is this clown going to do next?

The strength of this movie is the fact that they keep you wondering the whole time why he is the way he is. Damon is strong in this really big role. Supporting cast is fine, but this is one of those movies where the star of the movie is, the story. It is a story you don't know, and have never seen before. There is a great mix of drama, and some real dark comedy that has everyone on screen and in the theaters shaking their heads over this guys idiocy. The Informant! is a thinking mans movie. The story movies quickly, and doesn't take a lot of time to explain where it's going next. You have to keep up with it, so plan your breaks out before the movie.

The Informant!, is fun, smart, and borderline unbelievable at times. But it works. A real nice mix of smart story telling, witty dialogue, a very strange and eclectic music track, and solid performances by well cast actors. Great night at the movies.

Small Town USA

There is a great song out right now we're playing on WQMX. It's by a new artist that we've had the pleasure of meeting and working with a time or two, his name is Justin Moore. The song is called Small Town USA. I love this song. And there are a ton of reasons why.

First, it's real country. Second, it has a catchy tune that's easy to remember as all great songs do. But the real reason I love it, it's sung by a guy who lives it. I believe every word that Justin sings in this soon-to-be number one song on the country charts. That's a big deal with me. I've been playing country music on the radio for about a thousand years and the songs I really love, I really believe.

That song speaks to the small town in all of us I think. I have recently had the honor, (and I do mean honor) of working some really great small town events recently. And even though all concerts, appearances and roadshows are fun, there's something about a small town gathering that's a little different. My mom taught me that after I was an adult. I moved away for many years, and would lways come home for vacation. We'd go to a small parade in my hometown of Berea, and she would say, "There's nothing like a small town gathering!" She's mom - she's right.

At both the Wayne County, and Portage County fairs this summer, I met so many great people it's hard to keep track of them all. The wonderful people that run these ventures are just salt-of-the-earth people that you feel a real connection to as soon as you meet them. There's something about their handshake, and the sincerity of their smiles, that make you feel at ease the second you meet them. And the fans and listeners too. The feeling is palpable all around you when one of their favorite Country Stars come to town to perform. Ala Diamond Rio, James Otto, Billy Currington, or Bucky Covington. You can feel the appreciation before the first note is sung. It's just different in a small town.

Sue and I also felt that a month or two ago when we worked the community day at the Cornerstone Methodist Church. It may not be as small in that neighborhood as Wooster, or Randolph, but the feeling was the same. Sue and I have talked about it many times since that wonderful day. The feeling there was just a bit different.

Don't get me wrong, there isn't one thing wrong with any event, anywhere. The concerts at Blossom or The Q are bigger no doubt, and everyone is great. But I think even big places like to try to capture the small town feel. You seldom hear someone say, "You know, we really want this to feel like a big, major, sweaty city." It's almost always the other way. The small town feel.

To all of the wonderful people we've met in the past few months, especially in the small towns, we say thanks! Thanks for reminding us that even though we all may not live in a small town, your welcoming, and songs like Justin Moore's make us think of our own small towns. After all, most all or us are from someplace smaller than where we eventually end up.

And for those who stay in the small town from cradle to grave, there's a part of everyone of us that wishes we had too. Even if it's just a small part.

"I'll be right here, in Small Town USA" - Justin Moore.

MOVIE REVIEW - Whiteout

Strange release time for a movie called Whiteout that deals with life on the South Pole, but here it is. Whiteout stars Kate Beckinsdale and Tom Skerritt, as two pivotal people stationed at the main research outpost in Antarctica. She a U.S. Marshal and he the stations doctor.

Whiteout is an actiony, mystery, thriller of some kind. Kind of hard to categorize movie that is a bit more adult as compared to the slasher flicks dominating the box office right now. There have been 3 murders in Antarctica, the first ones ever. And the search is on to find the murderer. Is it someone on the inside, or is there an outsider doing these before unthinkable crimes. There is danger at every turn, and the elements of course are a big problem too.

Whiteout is better than you would think. But let's not get carried away. On the positive, I thought it showed wonderfully, what life at the South Pole would be like. It is explained how cold it really is, and how they beat it. The station was really cool, and it's interesting to see how they survive. Also, wherever this movie was filmed, there are some really beautiful scenes here. The story is better than I thought it would be going in, and it overall is easy to follow. There are a few holes, but they are somewhat forgivable.

On the down side, there is a ton of action in this flick. Most of it OK. The big action scene though in the whiteout is disappointing. Very long, and very hard to see and follow because of the blizzard. From a perspective of being accurate, probably right on. From a movie making one, hard to see, and herky-jerky. Big problem. Plus, a time or two if becomes extremely far-fetched, and that hurts too.

Beckinsdale is alluring as usual, not overly believable as a U.S. Marshal, tough to get past. Skerritt as the kindly doctor, well cast and really good in his supporting role.

Whiteout. Not mandatory viewing. Not great, but not a total whiteou.....um.. washout.

MOVIE REVIEW - Sorority Row

Well, they've spared no expense. Rumor Willis stars in the new slasher flick Sorority Row, new this week. In case you're confused, Rumor is a girl, and is Demi Moore and Bruce Willis' daughter. There are a bevy of other young female stars in SR from TV and other movies, but it doesn't matter. It's awful.

SR is the story of a fictional sorority at a fictional college. The "sisters" are playing a prank on a cheating boyfriend of one of the sisters, (Megan) After it goes horribly wrong, one of the sisters ends up dead. They dump her dead body in an old mine to cover it all up. Then one by one, the surviving sisters start getting picked off by a slasher killer. Has Megan come back from the dead to get her revenge? Or who else could it be. If you can stay awake long enough, you will find out.

You know, there are good slasher flicks, and bad ones. This would be the latter. Little story, little suspense, and actually pretty tame violence as far as these kind of movies are concerned. And as you might suspect the obligatory naked shower, or sex scenes required in each of the girls contracts make this as predictable as any movie you'll ever see. This movie is made with young adults in mind. And I'm not sure they'll be very impressed!

I don't mind a good slasher flick from time to time. Trouble here is, they are coming fast and furious this time of the year. And seeing a bad one, just isn't worth your time. I can't imagine one person being truly scared at this movie. And guess what? They door is open for more Sorority Rows!

Sorority Row. As silly as you might think. Better than Sominex!

MOVIE REVIEW - Taking Woodstock

It's after Labor Day and before Halloween. Sometimes in this month it can be tough to find something for the adults at the movies. If slasher-and-gasher flicks aren't your thing, then maybe a walk back to Woodstock is.

Taking Woodstock has been out for a week or two, and to just report the facts, it has been a real flop at the box office. Lots of competition, limited release, and story that is only relateable to a slice of the movie going public have contributed heavily to that. Remember the actual Woodstock was in August of 1969 - 40 years ago.

Taking Woodstock is a story based around the planning of the event and how it eventually ended up on Max Yasgur's farm for 500,000 hippies to show up for the worlds largest rock concert. It centers around a small family and their struggles with the family business in upstate New York. This concert, supposedly is the answer to this little town's troubles. Will it bring huge money to town, or just a bunch of problems?

There are moments of real skillful film making here. Director Ang Lee is a great one, and he spins this story in a most unusual way at times. A movie about Woodstock, with virtually no music from the era or the concert. If you're going in to see who is cast as Jimi Hendrix, or Janis Joplin, or hear some of the era's best music, you'll be disappointed mightily. It just isn't there. Why? Well, the story will make it clear if you go. Don't want to give too much away here.

But putting some of the movies nuances aside, a glaring problem for me here was, this movie gets a bit draggy in places. And you may find that a couple of ongoing bits wear out their welcome after the first half of the movie.

But one thing TW does very well. It captures an era wonderfully. It takes you back visually to 1969, and paints a picture of who these people were, and how they thought. Done well on both sides of the ledger. Both those who wanted the show, and those that opposed it. To be fair, not all of it flattering on either side. But that's Woodstock in microcosm. If you want to re-live or learn about an era that was the late 1960's then this is a journey worth taking.

Taking Woodstock. Limited release, limited audience, and limited appeal. But a look back at an era gone by. From a pure movie going standpoint this is not a big screen must see at all. A rental or Netflix up the road would be just fine.

I Have To Ask

In my job, and in my life I watch a lot of news on TV. Sometimes it's Romona Robinson and Betsy Kling on Channel 3. And sometimes it's CNN, Fox, or some other long acronymed news channel that happens to not be playing commercials as I surf around and see what different networks have to say about different issues. And with all due respect to Romona and Betsy, on this day we'll look at the news channels. We'll give R & B some props on another day.

Through the clutter on all these news channels, one question really jumped out at me this weekend. And it pertains to ALL of these channels. No matter what the issue is, no matter how big or small, and no matter what day of the week it is, or what time of the day it is.....where do all these "experts" come from? I had no idea this country had so many experts... on everything!

Now before we move on, let's just say that there are great people interviewed on TV that can lend great insight on topical issues. But in this article, were not talking about them. We're talking about the other 95 percent.

Every show the moderator says, "Ok, now for more on this weighty issue we turn to our panel of experts, please welcome So-n-So, and Such-n-Such, and last but not least it's Who-n-Who all via satellite, thanks for being with us tonight." Sometimes it's famous people but mostly, it's just "experts." Then as experts do, they start in by saying the blah blah, and the hooey-hooey on the issue dejour And I think for many, more times than not you come away with little more knowledge than you had before our "experts" started yammering 5 minutes ago. And some times, I'm just glad that the commercial break came and their yaps were mercifully zipped.

As experts, you would think that So-n-So, Such-n-Such, and Who-n-Who would understand fully that when 4 people shout at the same time on TV that no one gets heard or understood. But they don't seem to. Also you would think as experts, they could actually be utilized better in actually working on the problems that they are experts on, and not screaming and insulting each other on TV. I'm just sayin'.

In the larger picture, you would think with all these "experts" running around, that we shouldn't have many of the problems we have in the first place! Big or small. And what did all these "experts" do BEFORE cable news channels? What did they do with all this pent up expertedness inside them just yearning to come bursting forward? I have no idea. Did we have a rash of exploding experts that I am unaware of? Again, I have no idea.

I think it's clear now that I am not an "expert" on "experts" here. After watching a dizzying array of them over the past weekend, I have no better understanding of these egg-heads than I did before. But we watch. And we go to work the next day and say at the water cooler, "I was watching this guy on CNN last night, and he was saying.......blah blah blah.." And then someone asks, "Wow, who said that?" And you invariably say, "I don't know some, expert on such-n-such." After all that air time and the shouting and all the profundity, we can't even remember their names.

Thankless job this expert stuff.

MOVIE REVIEW - Extract

The new adult comedy Extract with Jason Bateman and Ben Affleck is out this week. You may not have heard of this movie at all, but it's going to find an audience one way or another.

Extract is a well cast, strange, adult comedy about Joel (Bateman) who owns a factory that makes extract, like for baking. His marriage to his beautiful young wife is in peril. The romance between them is gone, and he works all the time leaving her at home. She (Suzie) has no real interest in sex anymore, and Joel is thinking about straying outside the marriage with a sexy young temp he just hired at the extract factory.

Then the hair brained antics begin. Joel starts taking advice from the local bartender, some crazy drug addict (Affleck). He is also some kind of spiritual far-out "dude" and one night while they are doing way too many drugs, and drinking, they launch a scheme to trap Joel's wife in some kind of affair, so Joel will feel better about his possible affair. Sound strange? It is, but somehow in an adult way this movie stays afloat enough to get it's point across.

This to me, is a "little movie." No big budget, and no real huge stars. Also with a very funny soundtrack and an original idea, and it does deliver a laugh or two. It takes some very weighty adult issues, and finds a funny spin or two. And does it all in an understated style that makes it fun. Somehow through this journey, you forget these characters are going through some real-life serious stuff, long enough to laugh about it.

Bateman is solid as Joel, and Affleck is really funny, and convincing in his small role. I say it's one of the best performances of his career. Affleck can be funny, and very good in some roles, but he's NOT a leading man as Hollywood has tried to make him. Less is more, and here it is certainly MORE. Well done and fun! I think it's his best performance since he broke on the scene with Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting in 1997.

Extract is very adult, and certainly not for everyone. Plenty of language, and recreational drug use to go around. Extract is kind of hit and miss all rolled into one. A big hit with some, and a huge miss with others.

MOVIE REVIEW - All About Steve

Finally, the new Sandra Bullock film All About Steve is in the theaters this weekend. They've been threatening to bring this out for about a year, and here it is. Another Bullock comedy that looks amazingly like a lot of other Bullock comedies.

You're going to hear buzz about this being the worst movie of the year, and you can be rest assured...it is not. Not even close. So far this year there have been many, many worse. But that doesn't mean AAS doesn't have troubles.

Bullock plays Mary Horowitz. She is a socially awkward, crossword puzzle author, who works for the Sacramento Herald. Her life includes writing the weekly puzzles for the paper, and not much else. She has a blind date with Steve (Bradley Cooper) and falls for him at once. He does not fall for her at all. In fact, he can't wait to get away from her and her flapping yap. He is a news cameraman for a national news service and he travels around chasing major stories for the network. She follows him, and basically becomes a stalker. Although the joke being on her, she has no idea that she is viewed as such. And well, you can probably get the point here. The laughs are at her expense.

To be fair, there are some really funny moments here, and there are some moments of feeling for Mary. She sees only through her naive eyes, and the world is spinning too fast for her. But these moments are too few and way to far between. Where this movie misses with me is simply this. Mary is not awkward enough. She is obnoxious though, and there's a big difference. She is filled with useless knowledge that she can't stop spewing to everyone in earshot. She also is chronic talker in this movie with half the lines not really funny. To me, this doesn't make her awkward, it makes her irritating.

The idea here is way better than the end result. If Mary is a more awkward, we develop a real empathy for her, and root for her a little more mightily. The gaping flaw in this movie is that, it tries so hard to be so funny, that it doesn't ever grow a heart. They threw all their energy into a comedy that isn't funny, and dabble in a little sensitivity. And overall, it misses the mark. This idea could get a do-over and be much better. Making Mary a little more..under doggy, and not going for cheap laughs that don't come. The problem here is not the cast with Bullock, Cooper and the very funny Thomas Haden Church, it's the writing plain and simple. It's not good, and the picture suffers.

All About Steve. This movie will have an audience. There was a big crowd the today, and some out loud laughter. Over all, a good idea. The result, misses the mark.