One day, someone will write the definitive history of this operation, and I think it may well make Blackhawk Down look like a slapfight in the schoolyard:Operation Arrowhead Ripper
In honour of the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, we look back at one of the most tantalizing "what if" selections in the history of hockey.
The 1970s was the decade that brought a number of overseas imports to what had been seen as a "North American" league. Some, like Borje Salming, would eventually rise to the pinnacle of their sport and earn their place in hockey's pantheon of immortals, but it was an unknown prospect out of the Japan Ice Hockey League's Tokyo Katanas that was to shock the hockey world in 1974.
Legendary National Hockey League general manager Punch Imlach stunned the hockey world when he selected Taro Tsujimoto in the 11th round of the 1974 NHL Entry Draft. Hockey journalists initially hailed the selection, noting that the speedy centre, who went 183rd overall, would be a good fit with the organization. More importantly, the NHL had its first Japanese player.
While the diminutive Tsujimoto showed early promise in his first few months with the Sabres, surprising those who had expected little from this "novelty draft pick", a serious mandrus infection he picked up over Christmas left him bedridden for several weeks and he would ultimately end up missing half of his rookie season.
Never truly breaking out in a league of larger, tougher players than those he had faced in Japan, he would go on to have a credible career as a utility forward with several NHL organizations after being traded by the Sabres in his second year, including the Kansas City Scouts (76-79), the Cleveland Barons (79-80) and the Atlanta Flames for his final NHL Season (80-81). Throughout the 80s, Tsujimoto would bounce around the minor leagues, ultimately ending up back in his native land, where he has continued to play continuously since the early nineties as a semi-professional, and later, as an old timer.
It is said Tsujimoto never really recovered from the early setback of a severe illness in his rookie year. George Burdell, who played several seasons with the Tokyo native, had little to say to The Hockey News about his former teammate, characterizing him as "inscrutable" and an "enigmatic presence" who never quite got back on track after his bout with illness. Had he done so, some hockey historians opine he might have opened the floodgates to a new generation of Japanese player inspired by his trailblazing ways. We'll never know.
Bobby Orr: Regrets never having played with Taro
Thursday, June 14, 2007
How about some nice gabagool?
Some people remember the first time they heard their favourite band, or where they were when they heard something tragic happened, like the JFK assassination for boomers, or maybe 9/11 for Gen Xers, for example.
It was at Mike Arpin's house up in the Bay in '99. Mike, as anyone who knows him will remember, was a sucker for new electronics. If a video format or new satelite was coming out in six months, chances are he already had it. He had video game systems in his house that only existed in Japan, he had dozens of movies in multiple formats --including lazerdisc --and he had just about every cable channel that existed hooked up to his bigscreen, including a pay tv channel that was just starting to dabble in original programming in the late nineties: HBO.
One day, Fabian Silva and I were over at his house when he started raving about this new show he had been following. It starred that big dude who had that harrowing scene with Patricia Arquette in True Romance
and the guy who plays Spider, who gets shot by Joe Pesci in Goodfellas
and I was intrigued! No shit? I thought that scene with Gandolfini as the hit man character really stood out in TR... well, that one and the one with Chris "the anti-christ" Walken and Dennis Hopper --Come to think of it, I love that movie! What does that say about me, I wonder?
Anyway, Mike told us that unlike network, HBO did not have to insert commercials in its shows, and because of this, the programming tended to be more "cinematic" in nature. HBO also didn't need to tone down the violence or language either, so you almost ended up with some kind of bastard hybrid... like a pygmy movie, or a souped-up network drama.
So, intrigued by all this, we sat down to watch an episode of this new HBO show with the weird name at Mike's --what would turn out to be the first of 86 episodes, as it were-- and, from minute-one, I was transfixed.
All the superlatives have already been exhausted on the Sopranos, so I won't even bother trying to match the praise I've seen elsewhere. I'll just say that it is the closest thing I have ever seen on TV to literature, in terms of scope or ambition. And, what's more, it is yet to be surpassed in that regard. Can anyone point to any other programme on the small screen that painted universal themes in such grand strokes on such a broad canvas? You may be able to, but you could probably find someone who would call you on it, maybe someone who isn't even a Sopranos fan, but who recognizes it for what it is. Is is Sui generis.
It really did rewrite the rulebook of what could and could not be done on TV, and in the process, dared one to embrace it and invest in it. And yet, for all its complexity, loyal viewers have managed to stay hooked for eight years, and have been richly rewarded for their continued attention.
Some creative fans have gone to great lengths to plot out the overarching narrative of the show: who would have thought that the first five-and-a-half seasons of David Chase's opus could be summed up in such a clever way in seven minutes?
I wonder if he'll ever give us an updated version incorporating part 2 of Season 6...
Now the show is over. After a marathon viewing of the last 8 episodes, I watched the finale on Sunday night, and it was sublime. Once again, I'll refrain from providing a review. The final episode has been dissected to death by every Johnny-come-lately reviewer who wouldn't know a goomar from a garbanzo. If you want to read the thoughts of some really smart people who just happen to be big fans, you should go here.
I'll just say it was everything it needed to be, and so much more. David Chase, never concerned about meeting the expectations of the viewer, thumbed his nose at convention with the sudden shocking ambiguity of the ending, and, refusing to tie things up neatly in a bow, the Sopranos simply left us.
The end is bittersweet. Even moreso when you consider you can't really "re-experience" watching an episode for the first time. Like revisiting a favourite childhood park when you are an adult, or tasting candy you used to eat as a kid, the return visit is never quite the same. Not that repeat viewings aren't rewarding, but even before the final touches of this masterpiece had been applied to the canvas, TV turned on the show, like Saturn devouring his children.
Over the past couple of years, instead of airing the Sopranos in its unadulturated form in syndication, networks began wedging commercials into a format never designed for them. The result, as I found out watching "The Sopranos on CTV", was disconcerting, to say the least. The breaks are jarring. The flow of the narrative is interrupted. The end result is a facsimile, a fairly convincing imposter. Something exceptional masquerading as something mundane.
What's more, who would have thought that they would ever think of airing the Sopranos without the foul language? A&E is doing just that, and the result ain't pretty. I now refuse to rewatch the bastardized episodes:
OK, that clip is not actually from A&E, but you get my point. Colourful language makes for realistic dialogue in a show about the mob, and the dialogue is such an integral part of the Sopranos, that when you mess with it, the show suffers as a result.
Let's face it folks, the real Tony Soprano, the Tony of HBO is gone, and we shall not see his like.
Except on DVD.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
FIN
But there is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it's better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you're fighting for.
Ben Stein
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Game Two
EMERY IS A HERO
The guy dresses like a million bucks, even though he makes less than a million bucks a year.
He crashes hummers, punches out other goalies, and he stood on his head last night to keep Ottawa in the game.
Great consternation seized on the senators... lest such conspiracies and nightly meetings might be productive of secret treachery and mischief
Livy, History of Rome, Book XXXIX
"On my signal... unleash Spezza"
Trust in Alfie... Sens will prevail!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Thoughts on the 24 Season 6 Finale
How did I feel about it? I was actually a bit pissed at the end. "What a cop-out!" I snorted as the final clock of the season came up. Then I let the ending sink in, and it actually came to make sense. The finale of this season was better than it had any right to be, given what had preceded it. Uneven is the best way I can describe this season of 24. Like the first four episodes of this year, the death of Fayed was just about as intense as anything we have seen on this show, but 24 kinda lost steam again after that as it limped toward a finale. Ultimately, hours 23 and 24 somewhat rehabilitated the show, even though I was secretly hoping that a very-much-alive Tony would show up at the end for the shocker ending that some spoiler sites had been predicting.
What did I like specifically in those last two hours? In particular, I liked the brief “telepathy” shot, between Bauer père and Bauer fils…that was bizarre. There was a good build up of tension up to the climax, followed by the inevitable action set-piece on the oil rig, and the confrontation with not one, but two father figures in Jack's life! I thought the last ten minutes with Jack laying his soul bare to SecDef Heller were particularly powerful. Best of all, the finale tied up most if not all loose threads up from outstanding storylines, laying the groundwork for the “retooled” 24 the producers have been talking about. What will that look like, I wonder? I think you can almost tell, just by looking at the way the season finale played out, who will probably be back, and who probably won’t. Here is where I think we stand for next season, or if you prefer
“if I was a 24 producer, this is how things might go down”:
Jack: potentially suicidal at the moment, apparently. DEFINITELY won’t be working for CTU again… will probably get caught up in some ongoing CTU operation in some other city (producers have hinted that CTU LA, which gets breached more often than the Sabres’ defence, won’t be a factor in next season’s storyline). I know some people think they will be getting rid of CTU altogether, but I doubt it! Bauer without CTU is like Alfredsson without Spezza and Heatley –it just wouldn’t be 24. Cheng: Hopefully gone. He’s been a thorn in Jack's side for long enough and he's kinda f-ed up now anyway, isn’t he? How do you like your Cheng, Mr. Bauer? Extra Crispy
Audrey and papa Heller: Gone. Their three-season arc has run its course. Jack has let Audrey go… as he should. Please don’t bring this tired character back. Need new love interest! Perhaps…
Marilyn Bauer: I could see her return. There’s definitely some chemistry between her and Jack. And is Josh the new Kim?
Papa Bauer: Nope. Appears to be deceased. I doubt James Cromwell will return.
Bill and Karen: Done like dinner. They won’t be back –Bill should count his lucky stars he survived no less than three seasons on this show, given the fate of his predecessors.
Chloe and Morris: Also finito. Both characters’ storylines have been wrapped up nicely and they should definitely not be reintroduced, or they risk having another “President Logan and Martha” coda that goes nowhere.
President Palmer: Gone for good. And his sister too. PLEASE.
VP Daniels could be the Commander-In-Chief next season (President Palmer having eventually succumbed to his injuries sometime between seasons).
Tom Lennox: Hopefully to return…he was actually one of the few interesting people introduced this season, and as one of the few bits of continuity from season 6, he would be an anchor at the White House, a bit like the Mike Novick character in earlier seasons.
Nadia Yassir: Another little bit of continuity –like Chloe from season 3 to Season 4-- she could realistically be introduced as a transfer to the new CTU from CTU L.A. (Mike Doyle was a transfer from CTU Denver, right?). Hopefully, everyone else would be new AND interesting, unlike Nadia.
Mike Doyle: Minus one eyeball, he can now retire and practice pirate imitations. Alternatively, could be at CTU riding a desk and sporting a cool eyepatch, going out with Nadia, or show up as a cameo, à la embittered Tony Almeida from Season 4. Speaking of…
Tony Almeida: Still dead, potentially resuscitated as a zombie, with Curtis, of course. I can hope, can’t I?
Cameos:
Even though just about everyone has been ruthlessly killed off in recent seasons, thereby depriving us of characters we can be “invested” in, potential non-dead returnees include:
Kate Warner (reunited? She is still the hottest love interest)
Kim Bauer (reconciliation with pops?)
Chase Edmunds (but minus one hand, he wouldn’t be able to team up with Jack in any action scenes)
So basically, Jack, Nadia, and Mike (maybe) would be back at CTU, and Daniels and Lennox at White House. That would be as big a cast change as the one that happened between seasons 3 and 4. Definitely a “fresh start”!
***** Monsieur Spielberg, un film avec Tintin.... C'est très cool!
Sunday, May 06, 2007
I'm famous for playing make-believe and having someone record it. You should listen to me!
Sometimes I am filled with self-loathing when I realize I am one step removed from a movie-geek. Especially when I visit the fora on sites like AICN, populated as they are with so many misfits and creeps.
Call me an aficionado. I have seen just about everything mainstream made since the seventies worth seeing, and a fair bet of indie stuff besides. But, I could not tell you who the Cinematographer was in Chinatown, nor who wrote the script for C.H.U.D. I simply ain't that invested. To me, most movie geeks come across as sad faux-intellectual posers, trying to ascribe greater significance to the craft of what is essentially a bunch of people pretending to do things while a bunch of other people light and record them. This ain't philosophy or literature, it is make-belief, pumped full of ego and hubris and adrenaline.
That being said, I love movies. I don't mean I appreciate film as an art form. I mean I enjoy watching flicks... the same way some kids enjoy reading comics. As mostly-mindless, but occasionally thought-provoking entertainment. That's why I can't take the people who are involved in this business too seriously... and I certainly don't believe that their success in that medium somehow entitles them to use their public profile as a soapbox to preach to the rest of us about their pet causes.
In that spirit, I generally laugh at the earnest, hypocritical pronouncements of multimillionaire entertainment industry types, and I love seeing something like this: Lewis Black on Earth Day celebrities
I was reading a great blog post by David Thompson on cultural equivalence-- David has a blog that explores comic books and culture-- when I happened across a link to this video:
I remember seeing Jeff Dunham do some pretty tame stuff back in the nineties with characters like Peanut, and the Jalapeno-On-A-Stick... I guess times have changed!
The thing is, Achmed the Dead Terrorist may seem like an edgier act, but is it funnier than the middlebrow schtick that Dunham used to do with Walter the cranky old coot? Braver, sure. Funnier? Debatable.
I know everyone seems to be blogging... but Val Venis?
Monday, April 23, 2007
Thoughts on Bauer Withdrawal
Apparently while I wasn't paying attention, someone changed the name of this 24 show to "Karen and Bill's Tales of Woe and Misfortune (featuring crazy Audrey Raines)".
A couple of weeks ago I asked for more Bauer, and the producers delivered, but now it would appear we have entered the post-crisis period, which like the post-War period in Britain is marked by rationing. Only in this case, it isn't butter and sugar, but Bauer and shootings that are being rationed.
So Bill and Karen are having marital difficulties now. Yeah, and uh... we care why? Watch for Dr. Phil to make a guest appearance and appeal to the soccer mom demographic. And Audrey has returned.. something that is sure to please those 23 people in the continental United States that loved Kim Raver in The Nine. Bully for them, but for us 24 fans, if Bill and Karen and Audrey subplots equal less Bauer induced mayhem, then I say bring back one-armed Chase and Kim. I'd rather watch cougars and Mexican subplots that go nowhere than this season's three least compelling characters.
And yet, I won't repeat my earlier mistake and lose faith in my favourite show. Instead, I choose to believe that this is a brief detour on the road to season-ending ass kickery... and the last five minutes of the episode gives us all reason to believe, I think.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Spring Cleaning
Walking the streets of Ottawa yesterday, I was amazed at the effect that the change in weather had had on people. The mercury rises a couple of degrees, and all of a sudden the streets are packed. Because I live just north of Sandy Hill, at the edge of Lowertown, I often walk back from work along Rideau street. It's a fantastic walk, really, because the area around the Byward Market is arguably the most interesting part of town. Yesterday evening it was alive with the sights and sounds of the residents of the National Capital coming out of their long hibernation.
That, more than anything, has convinced me that Spring is finally here. It has been a rough winter, but Nesrine is finishing her courses, and I have begun a new job at PCO, so it really seems that both of us are making a fresh start.
So for the next few days, I'm doing some Spring cleaning on my blog... posting some of the interesting nonsense I've stumbled across and kept in my favourites. Should be fun...
The last episode of 24 was so good, I hereby renounce my heretical views, and recite the act of 24 contrition:
Oh Mr. Bauer I am heartily sorry for having doubted thee, and I detest my cynicism, because I dread the loss of 24, and the pains of reruns; but most of all because I offend thee, Jack, Who doth kick ass and are deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of the end-of-season stretch, to return to the fold to do penance, and to believe in thee again.
let us now pause and call to mind he who has suffered for us all...
AMEN!
P.S. I'm sure the Lord has a sense of humour
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
24 Apostasy
Ok, here we are two thirds of the way through the season, and I'm genuinely starting to waver in my faith. I'm not saying that I have left the church of Bauer, but I must admit I'm starting to flirt with heresy... First of all, where is Jack Bauer? 25 minutes into the last episode, and nary a glimpse of the man! Is this "The Hillary Clinton-approved Ricky Silverspoons leDouche variety hour'? Hells no! This is the "Jack Frickin' Bauer Power Hour"! So the producers better make with the Jack Bauer killery and murderistic brutality that is the show's hallmark.
The problem, I think, is that they are focusing on the wrong plot threads:
Anything at CTU? Mostly blows this season, except for Chloe (who is also getting less screentime), and anyone who goes out and gets brutalized, like when Milo and Morris had to take their medicine -- that was good. Putting characters in peril is guaranteed drama, because given the history of 24 supporting character kill-offs, you really never know if they are going to make it out alive.
Nadia? irrelevant eyecandy; zero chemistry with Milo --Tony and Michelle they are not.
Bill Buchanan? Waste of skin. We don't care that you and your wife miss each other. A nuke went off today. Do your bloody job.
I picture the scenario not so long ago: Some 24 writer bursts into a producer's office and says: Wait, I've got an idea! Let's drop a number of intriguing plot threads (papa Bauer, the fate of the former Prez and first lady) just so we can resurrect the most reviled character from the begining of the season. Sandra Palmer, enter stage left, sans muslim boyfriend.
So now we have episodes of boring White House Bunker nonsense as weak president and annoying sister square off against a scenery-chomping Veep and his nefarious aide. At least Karen Hayes and dude from Ally McBeal, both of them fairly interesting characters, are making the best of a bad situation.... 25th amendment...rehashed plot much? I liked this story the first time around, when they did the screw job on Wayne's big brother in season 2.
The last 10 minutes the last night's episode (excluding the insane presidential about-face) reminded everyone of this show's true strength. It is always at its best when it is squarely focused on JACK, and JACK's immediate adversaries, not the political machinations that form the expository backdrop to the narrative. The Ruskie selling out Abu Fayed was classic! Now THAT is the kind of twist we have come to expect.
The blog is not really that original: the idea is an "homage" to this book, but that doesn't make it any less relevant or entertaining.
This Spinks guy really spews some venom on alot of Canadian icons, many of whom had it coming --Boisclair comes immediately to mind. Have a read-through, and see how many of the takedowns you find yourself nodding at.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Facebook
I bit the bullet. I'm on it, and guess what? It's kinda cool. Look me up. I've also got a feed from this blog, so you can read my demented ramblings on my Facebook page, and see the stuff that has caught my eye.
My francophone colleagues had a good guffaw when they spotted the title of the budget document. It's "Aspire," as in to strive for greatness. In French it means "suck," as in draining the federal treasury of more than its share of the spending surge.
Aspire: the theme for Budget 2007 Perspire: what the thought of a Spring election makes the opposition do.
