Month: August 2006

WLEE to return from the dead — briefly

XM 60’s on 6 has a regular Friday afternoon show called “Sonic Sound Salutes” where they use jingles, sweepers, and actual airchecks from 60’s AM radio stations.  I’ve tuned into it by accident a couple of times, but haven’t made a habit of listening.

I happened to tune in to the end of today’s show (WABC/770, New York, complete with Cousin Brucie), and Terry Young announced that the next show, on September 1, will be WLEE/1480, Richmond, the station I grew up with (and, at times, hated because they had a very strong signal at my house, making DXing a challenge).  It’ll be good to hear some of those old voices again…I wonder if they’ve got an aircheck of Shane saying, “Heavyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy”?

Far out!

Snakes on a Plane: The Allegory

Jeff came up with this as we were out for our evening walk. Presented for your approval, Snakes on a Plane: The Allegory.

Tomorrow, the film Snakes on a Plane will be released. It is the story of two FBI agents, played by Samuel L. Jackson and Mark Houghton, protecting a witness (played by Nathan Phillips) who will testify in a very important trial. An assassin has released 500 snakes to kill the witness on the plane. The film may sound unintelligent, but in reality, it is the most sophisticated movie of the decade. For the film is not really about snakes on a plane: it is about the War in Iraq.

The plane in the film is really the United States of America. The witness represents our innocence as a nation, an innocence that keeps America flying. But Vice President Cheney’s company Halliburton seeks to poison America’s soul (Phillips) by sending misinformation about weapons of mass destruction into the country. To stop this spread of lies and deceit, the heads of the 9/11 Commission (Jackson & Houghton) seek to protect the county’s innocence, knowing full well the real threat in the War on Terror is not Iraq. However, if it is bitten, all of America will panic and go to war, with the risk that the whole country will crash. Jackson’s character best sums up how America feels about being lied to: “That’s it! I have had it with these m^th@rf*#(ing snakes on this m^th@rf*#(ing plane!” In our world America was bitten; we can only hope that the world of Snakes on a Plane will be much more happy.

But the film manages to delve into even deeper issues than Iraq, making it the most allegorical work since Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. It carries a double message in a way that few movies can. For the film is also about high school, and the pressure to get into college without crashing.

The plane is Kehillah Jewish High School. Its goal is to transport its students to college in a safe, non turbulent, kosher ride. The Ivy League schools are represented by the snakes, sent by the parents of Phillips who are so carried away with their child’s future that they do not notice that the Ivy League schools’ expectations (in the form of the snake bites) are hurting him in the present. Jackson, Houghton, and Phillips represent students in this film. Jackson and Houghton are trying to protect their friend Phillips from the Ivy League schools’ influence. If Phillips is bitten, he will become an overachiever, sacrificing his life trying to follow the snakes back to their lair, Harvard University. Jackson’s courageous line “That’s it! I have had it with these m^th@rf*#(ing snakes on this m^th@rf*#(ing plane!” sums up his frustration with the system.

Parents everywhere are advised to see Snakes on a Plane twice, once keeping in mind the War in Iraq, and the second time keeping in mind their children’s futures. Afterwards, they are advised to show this film to their children twice as well. If a five year old says, “That’s it! I have had it with these m^th@rf*#(ing snakes on this m^th@rf*#(ing plane!” parents have done their job: they have bred a child who will not go with the flow and will stand up and fight. Snakes on a Plane is truly the most allegorical movie ever released.

Comfort food

Today started early; Diane had an MRI at 7:45 (results: negative), so we got up early, which worked out well for me, since I had a telecon starting at 6am. Well, it would have worked out a lot better if I’d slept last night, but I made the mistake of fiddling with a project until nearly 11, and my mind was trying to finish the job all night.

So I wasn’t at my brightest this morning, and sitting on the phone for two-and-a-half hours, then rushing to work and getting back on for another two hours didn’t improve my mood any. (I keep reminding myself that I could be in Somers — but even that wasn’t enough to cheer me up today!)

We divided into smaller teams at 11:15 Eastern; instead of dialing my workgroup immediately, I decided to take a break and have an early lunch. Nothing at the cafeteria remotely appealed; instead, I drove to Mojo Burger for a tasty, if not terribly healthy, meal. I did eschew the free upgrade to a shake, though.

Getting out into the fresh air helped; food helped more. By the time I returned to the office, I was ready to get back on the phone for the next three hours of calls. Then I even managed to write a little code before calling it a night.

The laptop is still zipped up in the briefcase, by the way, and I can’t connect to work on this machine. Ahhh….

Guilt is entirely optional

I tried to watch the 2005 version of The Producers tonight. The original movie was one of the first laserdiscs we ever bought, and it’s still one of my favorite movies.

I’d put the 2005 version on my Netflix queue some time ago, and it’s been sitting here for a week or so, waiting for me to get the necessary round tuit. Tonight was the night; I knew this version had been panned, but I really wasn’t expecting quite so much padding. I kept comparing Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick to Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder and finding them lacking (though I must admit that Uma Thurman was up to Lee Meredith’s standards).

I stuck with the movie for about 30 minutes, then started making heavy use of the remote control to get to the good parts — well, good part. “Springtime for Hitler” was certainly worth watching, but then the movie went off the rails again.

If I’d bought the DVD, I’d feel like an idiot. If I’d paid to rent it, I’d’ve felt obligated to see the whole thing. But since I got it from Netflix, all I lost was a little time — it was never the only Netflix movie sitting at home, so there wasn’t even any real opportunity cost (and I’m still using Mom’s prepaid membership).

Why do I feel guilty anyway?