Entries from November 2005 ↓
November 18th, 2005 — Film
The fourth film in the Harry Potter series is a 150 minute tour-de-force. Despite having to make some major cuts from the novel in the interest of time, the movie still covers all of the major plot points, and does so with style.
The focus, of course, is on the Tri-Wizard Tournament and the return of Voldemort. Director Mike Newell seizes the chance to present each task of the Tournament as a major action sequence, with breathtaking results.
Ralph Fiennes was absolutely amazing as Lord Voldemort. Despite being on screen for only a few moments, he captured all of the megalomania and pure evil appropriate for the role.
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson all impress. It’s great to see these three grow as actors with each film.
Newcomers Brendan Gleeson and Miranda Richardson as Mad Eye Moody and Rita Skeeter respectively were both excellent. Rumor has it that Richardson does not intend to return for the next film, that would be a shame.
The film’s brilliant, and I can’t wait to see it on IMAX next weekend!
November 16th, 2005 — New York Giants
from Giants.com:
Preston Robert “Bob” Tisch, the Giants’ Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer, one of the nation’s most respected and successful businessmen, a former United States Postmaster General, and an extremely generous philanthropist, died Tuesday night.
Tisch passed away from inoperable brain cancer, which was first diagnosed in the summer of 2004. He was 79. His death comes just three weeks after the passing of his fellow owner, Wellington Mara, who died of cancer on Oct. 25 at the age of 89.
Tisch realized a longtime dream in 1991 when he completed negotiations with Wellington Mara’s nephew, Tim Mara, and his family and paid $75 million for a 50 percent interest in the Giants…
…Owning the Giants was one of many careers Tisch pursued simultaneously. Forbes magazine ranks him 56th on its list of the country’s 400 wealthiest people and estimates his net worth to be about $3.9 billion.
“Then, of course, my involvement with the New York Giants has been very rewarding. I’ve been very, very lucky in my life and what I’ve been able to achieve.”
Everyone who knew him, worked with him or were touched by his generosity were just as fortunate.
Preston Robert Tisch was born on April 29, 1926 in New York City. He attended Bucknell University before entering the Army in 1944. After military service in World War II, he earned a B.A. degree in economics from the University of Michigan in 1948. Tisch is survived by his wife, the former Joan Hyman, and their three children, Steven, Laurie and Jonathan, and nine grandchildren.
November 13th, 2005 — New York Giants
The Vikings? The Vikings? The Vikings? The Vikings? The Vikings?
(It was five turnovers, right?)
November 12th, 2005 — Adventure and Music
Last night, I rolled up to Philly with Wooly to catch our good friend Erik Mitchell play songs from his new album, All These Words.
The show was at Double Shots Cafe on 2nd & Chestnut in Old City. Mitchell shared the bill with another local act, the lovely and talented Amanda Kalatsky.
Both musicians put on a great show. The particular stand out of the evening was Erik’s rendition of his non-album track, “I Gave Her A Ring, She Gave Me The Finger.”
Afterwards we moved the festivities a few blocks away to Filo’s on 2nd and Pine. There was a reggae dance party going on downstairs, but there was a $5 cover, and according to advance scouting done by Drea and Mitchell, it was pretty lame. Therefore we hung out upstairs drinking $2 “pounders” of Pabst Blue Ribbon, while Wooly’s friend Becky regaled us with stories of stairway sex.
Another fun night with good friends.
Oh, and Erik’s album’s pretty good too.
November 10th, 2005 — Arsenal FC
From BBC Sport:
Mexican club Guadalajara have confirmed that 16-year-old striker Carlos Vela is now an Arsenal player.
Vela’s father Enrique told the Mexican media on Wednesday that his son was set to move to England and Guadalajara have now confirmed the deal.
“It’s official. Carlos Vela now belongs to Arsenal,” said a club statement.
Vela, who scored five goals to help Mexico win the Under-17 World Cup, is expected to cost Arsenal just over £2m and he will sign a five-year deal.
Under the terms of the deal, Vela would play for Spanish side Valencia until he is 18, when he becomes eligible for a work permit in the United Kingdom.
Guadalajara vice-president Nestor De La Torre said: “Arsenal told me that they were planning to loan him out to another team in order to develop before playing in the Premiership.
“The sporting rights of Vela will go to Arsenal for five years. If Arsenal decided to sell Carlos the first option would go to Chivas (Guadalajara).”
Vela will follow in the footsteps of leading international goalscorer Jared Borgetti, the first Mexican to play in England’s Premiership, and who joined Bolton earlier this year.
November 9th, 2005 — Technology
I was listening to the “Word Soccer Daily” podcast yesterday when Nick and Steven started talking about a new device that allows you to watch your TV from anywhere in the world. It sounded intriguing, so I checked out the website….
From slingmedia.com:
Slingbox is powered by a high-performance digital signal processor from Texas Instruments, and leverages Microsoft’s latest Windows Media Video technologies to provide superior video quality. Plus, our engineering dudes developed the SlingStream optimization algorithms that automatically adapt to changing network conditions. This means that we can give you the best video quality consistently, personalized to your connection. Our variety of S-Video, Coax, and Composite RCA inputs allows you to hook up basically anything you want to a Slingbox, and sling that signal around the world. Right now, the software works with Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/MCE computers, and we will be introducing Pocket PC, Smartphone, and Macintosh-compatible versions in the coming months.
Damn, does this thing sound cool! Next time I have $237 bucks to spare, I may just have to buy one!
