Ah, it’s that time again. Time for Steve Jobs to make me wish I was made of money. One of his infamous keynote speeches was today, and, as always, it made me weep like a little girl… um… made me weep man tears of joy. For the record, all my info is coming from Engadget and MacRumors.

First off, Mac users can rejoice, the game publishers are coming back! (bout freakin’ time from what I hear from my Mac lovin’ friends) EA is back in July, and ID Software is working on a bunch of new stuff.

Then he moved on to Leopard. For whatever reason, when Apple started with OS X, they got obsessed with big cat names, who knows why. Leopard is the upcoming release, and it’ll have, according to Steve, 300 new features, 10 of which he showed today. Some of it boring, some of it exciting. Being a PC user still, I’m not sure why everyone was so hot and bothered over the new feature named “Stacks”, it’s supposed to clean up your desktop, but I am sure Luis will be better able to explain it than me.

The second feature was an update to their in-computer search function, “Finder”. It sounds an awful lot like Google Desktop to me as you can search more than just your computer now, but all computers on a network. It will all be done in a similar fashion to iTunes Cover Flow (where you flip through the album covers) and can be done on other machines on your network… yes, including the PCs on your shared network. The kicker though is that going through .Mac, you can even browse your other computers over the internet, drag and drop files and so on, but both computers must be Macs. Sounds a lot like GoToMyPC.com, but, ya know, smoother. Damn those Mac people.

Next up was Quick Look, adds the ability to look at files without opening a separate application. I would need to see this in person before I got excited. For the true geek in all of us though, Leopard is going 64 bit. Without boring you all to tears… think “much faster brain”. The fifth feature was something called Core Animation, again, I think I have to be a Mac user to get excited over this.

Exciting to those of us looking to switch from PC to Mac is the addition of Boot Camp in the actual OS. Boot Camp, for those not in the know, is a method that allows you to boot up Windows on your Mac. There is an odd thing going on though with Apple actually helping out a third party company with their product Parallels. This system allows you to run Mac and Windows at the same time without rebooting. Basically, however you want to run Windows on your Mac, you can, the method you do it by is up to you.

Feature #7 was “Spaces”. It allows you to group things on your desktop, move them between spaces, even while running and so on. It’s another desktop organization system, and yes, I would need to play with it before I got excited about it. Feature #8 sounds cool, but, also a way to clutter up your desktop more? Basically it’s a new system for you to make new Widgets for your desktop from any portion of a web page. So, while cleaning up your desktop, Apple is also giving you more ways to… clutter it. Yeah, doesn’t make a lot of sense to me either. Feature #9, iChat, Lots of new toys for the built-in chat system, and sharing of files with each other. More of a toy than anything.

Feature #10… ah yeah! Time Machine! This feature alone is worth the price of a Mac to me. One click, one time, setup of automatic back-ups to a second hard drive. It also features “versioning”. This means every time you hit save on a document, you’ve created a new version, Time Machine will allow you to go back for “X” number of saves (you determine the number). Multiple computers? No problem, set up a hard drive on your network, even wirelessly, they can all save to the same hard drive. I want this so bad, I can taste it.

Whoa… this is unexpected. They are releasing their web browser, Safari, as a public beta as of today for the PC. I’ve heard great things about Safari, but never gotten to use it. You can get it here, shortly. I know I’ll be jumping on this.

Lots of stuff about iPhone. I know I was excited back when this was first announced, but now I’m a bit leary of it, especially with the touch screen keyboard. I know, people are saying wait until you try it, but with my huge fingers, it worries me.

Well, all done and… still no new iPods. I think this may be the longest stretch ever without a new generation.

All-in-all… kind of a let down.

It all started on January 10, 1999, and it finished on June 10, 2007. Eight years, 86 episodes.

There were times that people said the show had lost it’s edge. I say those people didn’t fully understand this wasn’t “a mob show”, it was “a human condition show set against the back drop of the mafia”. It was never meant to be all mafia, all the time. It was about Tony Soprano juggling his everyday life, his family vs. “the family”, how they conflicted, meshed, and collided.

And now… now it’s over. I won’t ruin how it concluded, but I’ll say that NO ONE saw it coming… no one. It was either David Chase, the creator, being a genius, or he intentionally just wanted to play with us. My gut tells me he just wanted to give us an ending that didn’t leave much opening for things to come after this, but he sure dropped some hints to possible prequels. He has been quoted as saying there may be a movie focusing on Tony’s grandparents coming to America, but there sure were hints to a prequel focusing on his father and uncle in the 1950′s.

Anyway you slice it, one of the greatest TV show to ever grace our screen has come and gone. We’ll miss you Tony.

Could someone please explain to me the allure of Crocs?

The first person I remember seeing them on was celebrity chef, Mario Batali. Now these things seem to be popping up everywhere and, quite frankly, they’re ugly as sin. They are cheap plastic, look uncomfortable, and are just generally unappealing.

If someone wants to wear them, fine, but as I see more and more popping up when I’m out and about, I just have to ask myself… “Why? Why would someone wear these things?”

Gee… it seems in the original sentencing, the judge specifically stated no house arrest for Ms. Hilton. And now, the judge is saying he never signed off on this release, and there is no documentation that this mysterious “medical condition” even exists.

She has been sent back to the jail, sobbing and screaming… literally, and will serve out the remainder of her sentence.

Several people, on this blog, in my LiveJournal, and in person have asked me why I am so outraged over this. Is it because of who she is? Partially. The other part is she very clearly violated her probation. The above linked article lays it out quite clearly:

Hilton’s twisted jailhouse saga began Sept. 7, when she failed a sobriety test after police saw her weaving down a street in her Mercedes-Benz on what she said was a late-night hamburger run.

She pleaded no contest to reckless driving and was sentenced to 36 months’ probation, alcohol education and $1,500 in fines. In the months that followed she was stopped twice while driving on a suspended license. The second stop landed her in Sauer’s courtroom.

There is no ambiguity here. She was on probation, her license was suspended, she was pulled over twice while driving on said suspended license. Her sentence is in line with the crime, she simply doesn’t feel she should serve it. Yes, this whole thing is beyond silly, but nothing changes the matter that she broke the law. Period. She now has to do her time like anyone else.

I really want an investigation launched into this Sheriff’s role in this whole thing. Something is very, very fishy about why he felt he could release her to home custody without the say-so of the court.

Stolen from Jo

Your results:
You are The Joker

The Joker 62% Lex Luthor 60% Magneto 59% Dr. Doom 58% Green Goblin 55% Venom 54% Mr. Freeze 50% Apocalypse 45% Two-Face 43% Kingpin 41% Riddler 36% Mystique 35% Dark Phoenix 34% Catwoman 30% Juggernaut 27% Poison Ivy 22%

The Clown Prince of Crime. You are a brilliant mastermind but are criminally insane. You love to joke around while accomplishing the task at hand.

Click here to take the Super Villain Personality Test

Fine, I have only mentioned the idiot’s… celebutante’s name once before, and it was only in passing, but Paris Hilton just needs to be shoved in a hole and forgotten. She went three days in jail… oh, excuse me… five days according to the sheriff’s department. How did they come up with five days served? She checked in at 11:15 PM Sunday… that counts as a day. She left at 2:00 AM this morning… that counts as a day.

My head hurts at the math.

Anyhow… why was she released? Well, two stories are out there. Story #1 is she was near a mental breakdown. Story #2 is she had a rash.

Again… my head hurts.

There really are no adequate words to express just how much I dislike this woman and all she represents. And this latest stunt is just the topper. How many people have gone into jail over the years, had mental problems, and stayed there for days, weeks, months, and even years? Too many to count. However, if your name is Paris Hilton, apparently you get to change your sentence mid-stream and switch over to house arrest.

As I was prepping to write this, it was announced she has to go to court tomorrow as the following story mentions there are problems:

Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer issued his order after the city attorney filed a petition late Thursday afternoon questioning if Sheriff Lee Baca should be held in contempt of court for releasing Hilton Thursday morning.

Gee… ya think? This needs to be investigated, and quit frankly, I would like to see the Sheriff ousted. This is just silly to the nth degree. She was in jail, and I don’t care how uncomfortabe she was… you stay!

***MAJOR SPOILERS***

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From the Washington Post story, it gives you the basic bullet point you need:

A federal appeals court tossed out an indecency ruling against Rupert Murdoch’s Fox television network yesterday and broadly questioned whether the Federal Communications Commission has the right to police the airwaves for offensive language.

The New York Times also said similar. So, basically, what I’ve been saying ad nauseam for ages now about how everyone needs to just back off and allow people to make their own decisions… the judicial system somewhat agrees. Does the FCC even have this right? Why is it if someone utters four letters, arranged in a certain order, that is worth a TV station paying the government $325,000 per instance? In the cases cited, it wasn’t even the networks doing, but celebrities on awards shows who said the “offending” words.

I will never understand the obsession with “offensive” words. Why does one word hold more power than another word? Battlestar Galactica invented the word “frak” as their swear word. The, now canceled, show Veronica Mars adopted it for a couple of episodes with the clear same meaning as it had on BSG. So, a word with the same clear meaning, used in a similar fashion, and even sharing some of the very same letters is not offensive, and the FCC ignores it. However, say the word “fuck”, and each over-the-air television station that transmits the word will be fined $325,000 per insistence.

Alright, let’s say for arguments sake that every network show picked up “frak” as their curse word of choice. “Frak you!”, “Frak off!”, “FRAK!” start suddenly appearing all over the airwaves, and kids begin saying in school yards all across the land. The FCC sits on their behinds saying “Well… it’s not on our list.”, but someone on an awards show says “Fuck, can you believe this?!?” when they accept their award, and wham, here come the fines. Does this not illustrate just how broken, and arbitrary, the system is? So long as you INVENT your curse word, no matter what the clear intent of it is, it’s okay, because it does not exist on the FCC’s magical little list.

Am I calling for a free-for-all of swearing on TV? No, it would get boring and annoy me greatly. If it doesn’t fit the character, or the situation, I can live without it. However, do I think the FCC is outdated, and, for the most part, a pointless dinosaur of a gone-by era? Yes. It’s a thin line to walk, but the silliness of their fines needed to be questioned, and I am thrilled to see someone finally has.

The other day (second story) I discussed how Major League Baseball is angry with Sling Media for showing games out of market. Well, now it seems there is a follow-up to this. (and to give credit, the Wall Street Journal is the original source, but they charge to read.) It seems that other members of the MLB hierarchy are realizing that suing Sling Media may be a bad idea as it will anger the fans.

Gee… ya think? It is time these big conglomerates realize when a customer pays for something they have a right to enjoy it, for their personal use, in a manner of their choosing. If someone is paying for the baseball games and they have to be out of town, is MLB going to refund a portion of their subscription? No. Watching it on your laptop in a hotel room, it is still YOU enjoying it. You just aren’t in your house. What if you’re at your place of work, but in the same television market, what would be wrong with watching it via your Sling Box? Nothing.

Companies need to catch up with technology and realize the marketplace is a constantly changing beast in the 21st century.

Brilliant.

The next to last episode ever, and it was abso-freakin’-lutely brilliant. Everything we’ve waited for all these years is coming down.

Melfi…
AJ…
Bobby…
SIL!!!!!!!!!!

This is going to be one of the longest weeks of my life…

Jack Bourdain is a talented chef whose party lifestyle has effectively ended his career: too much wine, women and song has made Jack a has-been. But when he’s given a second chance and just 48 hours to open an upscale restaurant, Jack assembles a sexy, hilariously dysfunctional staff and things really start cooking, both in the kitchen and the bedroom!

From the executive producer of Sex and the City comes this fresh comedy that is “slick, sophisticated and worth making a reservation for” (TV Guide)…Bon appetit!

Yet another casualty of the cancel-happy Fox network, Kitchen Confidential was based on the book of the same name by Anthony Bourdain, why they changed his name to “Jack” in the TV series is lost on me. As the above blurb describes, he is given another shot at running a restaurant, and in the first few episodes you do see him struggle with his own inner demons, but he is a changed man, and determined to make a go of it this time.

Only four of the thirteen episodes included in this DVD set actually aired, and that’s a shame. I watched it when it did air, I was disappointed they called it quits so soon, and finally seeing those nine unaired episodes just hit that point home even more. The cast quickly came together, the writing was fairly tight (for the most part… there were some clichés, but overall they did a credible job), and there were numerous laugh-out-loud moments.

The cast was fun, and had a wide range of varied histories. Bradley Cooper, best known for his role as Will Tippin on “Alias”, played Jack pretty credibly, and his early scenes where he fought his urges to drink were excellent. Fans of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” were happy to see Nicholas Brendon, famous for his role as Xander, playing the pastry chef Seth, though he did seem a bit TOO Xander-like to me a couple of times. Two actors I really liked, I wasn’t all that familiar with: John Cho as Teddy, the fish chef, and Owain Yeoman as Steven, the meat specialist. Mr. Cho has a long list of acting credits, While Mr. Yeoman’s is fairly short. Both were believable in their parts and had excellent comedic timing.

With the current landscape looking rather bleak for the sitcom genre, this was a welcome breath of fresh air, but you have to wonder if we are ever going to get a truly successful sitcom that lacks a laugh track. Sitcoms that seem to have an intelligence above boiler-plate scripts never seem to last, and it’s a shame. And for some odd reason they always seem to end up at Fox. Overall, it’s well worth your time to check out this short-lived series and, once again, question the sanity of Fox television executives.

I know I said I was going to stop recapping reality shows, and this is not a recap, this is a “please… end it… end it now before anyone else suffers irreparable mental damage from viewing it” request. I watched Pirate Master Thursday night on CBS… I’m not proud, and it has taken me nearly 48 hours to be able to admit to this travesty.

You know it’s summer television time when the networks think it’s a good idea to unveil “Survivor Lite”, which it’s only additional claim to fame is “Hey! Look at us! We’re trying to cash in on the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies by taking Survivor and stripping out all the interesting challenges, and just focus on people talking… and talking… and talking some more!”

I don’t even know where to start! Could it be the one guy who was an obvious attempt to copy one of the all-time, most popular Survivor contestants, Rupert? I am sure Louie is a perfectly nice person, but, he is obviously just a Rupert-clone. And then you have contestants like John who was… well, he was voted off thank goodness… but he was just… mildly disturbing in a “Please… stop calling my house… we broke up three years ago!” sorta way.

There really is nothing else to say except that Mark Burnett, the same man responsible for Survivor, really threw a grounder with this one. I guess he just felt the need to get another show on the air, and in a fit of absolute laziness, he went with the idea of, not only ripping himself off, but ripping off one of the most successful movie franchises in the history of film.

Avoid at all costs.