Monday, December 31, 2012

Video Review: A Christmas Story - I Triple-Dog-Dare You To Find A Way Not to Laugh

Article first published as Video Review: A Christmas Story - I Triple-Dog-Dare You To Find A Way Not to Laugh on Blogcritics.

There was an old box that I found filled with video tapes I had recorded, which in and of itself was a nice surprise. There were so many old TV shows that I had forgotten about. You would be amazed how good Jake and the Fat Man (starring Joe Penny and William Conrad) actually was. I had taped several episodes for my Mom, and now all these years later have discovered it was a great show.

What is really wonderful is when you get a surprise within a surprise. I was watching the last of these shows, and when it was over I forgot to stop the tape. When I came back to shut off the old VCR, I was stunned to see the opening credits for A Christmas Story, the legendary 1983 film directed by Bob Clark that takes the myth of an ideal mid-Western Christmas and turns it upside down. I had completely forgotten taping it and had not written the title on the tape label, so I got a nice little after Christmas present (so much better than three French hens or six geese a-laying).

On the surface A Christmas Story is deceptively simple. It is the story of a nine-year-old boy named Ralphie (Peter Billingsley), an Indiana kid who dreams of getting one thing for Christmas: a Red Ryder BB gun. It is the 1940s and the small town setting is wonderfully realized, with old cars plowing through the snow and everyone appropriately dressed for the time and place; however, the traditions of Christmas are picked apart piece by piece, but the result is less social commentary and more meant for continuous opportunities for laughing your head off.

Ralphie makes his desire for the BB gun known to everyone. His Dad, played by Darren McGavin (in a subtly powerful performance), seems too cranky and distant to approach. Mom (a hilarious Melinda Dillon) is a bit softer touch, but she quickly discounts his wish by saying, “You’ll shoot your eye out.” This is still not going to stop Ralphie, as he figures Santa Claus will fulfill his wishes.

The film is narrated by Jean Shepherd (writer of the original story), and his delightfully raspy voice as the older Ralphie adds a wistful dash of authenticity to the proceedings. He fills in the gaps as to what the little Ralphie is thinking when he is about to get beaten up, has his mouth washed out with soap, or watches his friend Flick (Scott Schwartz) get his tongue stuck to a frozen pole after being triple-dog-dared by another friend Schwartz (R. D. Robb).

Why this film has become a holiday classic is because it covers so many things about life that are universal. Though it is the 1940s, people in 1983 could relate easily to what transpires, and having watched it again I can say the same thing in 2012. Certainly, there are many outdated things depicted, including the matronly school teacher Miss Shields (Tedde Moore), the Orphan Annie Decoder Ring, the unkempt department store Santa, and the snow suits that make kids look like the Pillsbury Dough Boys, but none of these things actually derail the story but rather add a unique flavor to the magnificent recipe for cinematic gold.

One of the most hilarious elements of the story involves Dad winning a prize: a lamp in the form of a shapely leg in fishnet stocking. Dad decides to display this lamp in the house’s front window, much to the horror of Mom and the rest of the neighborhood. Why Dad wins this contest (he is always entering them in the newspaper) is never explained, but the destruction of the lamp by Mom, who accidentally knocks it over while dusting, is addressed by the narrator. I couldn’t stop laughing.

When Ralphie finally gets to see Santa (Jeff Gillen) at the department store, it is his last chance to state the case for the BB gun. Of course, as with everything else in the film, there is no romanticized Miracle on 34th Street stuff going on here. Instead, Santa is a gruff, drunk, and rude old elf who knows the store is closing and wants to go home. He quickly gets rid of Ralphie’s little brother Randy (Ian Petrella), but Ralphie will not go quietly into the crowd. As he starts falling down a slide away from Santa, Ralphie struggles back up and asks Santa for the gun. Of course, he is once again told that he will shoot his eye out. For good measure, Santa shoves Ralphie down the slide to add insult to injury.

The rest of the story plays out with similar disregard for holiday tradition. The family turkey is stolen by neighborhood dogs (ones that are forever harassing Dad), and thus the clan heads to the only restaurant in town that is open – a Chinese place where Peking Duck is dubbed “Chinese turkey.” This scene once again had me laughing so hard that my kids came down the basement to see what was so funny.

I watched the film all over again with them, but my preschool age son got a little upset with the depiction of Santa Claus. He liked the rest of the story though, but this is not just a children’s film; rather, it is one for adults who wish they were kids again. A Christmas Story can take you there, at least for 90 minutes.

If you have a chance, try to watch this film at least once before the season is over. I triple-dog-dare you to not laugh all the way.

Photo Credits: IMBd.com

Sunday, December 30, 2012

National Geographic Channel's Doomsday Preppers : The Scariest Thing on TV

Article first published as National Geographic Channel's Doomsday Preppers : The Scariest Thing on TV on Blogcritics.

I recently discovered National Geographic Channel’s Doomsday Preppers, and I have to say that it is scarier than any episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead. No, we don’t get blood thirsty zombies crawling across the screen, but there is a palpable sense that this kind of life altering event is exactly what these “preppers” are getting ready to face, or maybe even something more grim than imaginable.


I have seen only a few episodes, and they shook me up quite a bit. You get to see these regular people, some of whom you probably work with or know socially, who by night are preparing parts of their homes to be underground bunkers in case of disaster. The prepping involved is extensive and, in most case, seems carefully thought out and executed. The problem is that NGC’s “experts” then evaluate the preppers, and the results are not always positive.

In all of these episodes I have seen these people are working their butts off to get things right. They stock potable water, tons of food, and all the other necessities. Many of them are armed to the teeth with all sorts of weapons. Despite all the prepping, there always seems to be a flaw in the plan that the experts reveal at the end. Many of the preppers then respond to these experts, and some seem to try to make up for deficiencies in their planning.

I guess the thing that scares me the most about this show is not all the difficulties of planning or even all the expense incurred, but rather that no matter how carefully these folks prepare, there is bound to be something to get in their way. One family planned to stick it out in the bunker over a period of time and then hightail it to a boat to escape to an island. The experts picked at the flaws in this plan that seemed obvious: they had to avoid obstacles on the road to the boat and then had to hope their boat was still there.

All the preparation in the world seems to only help people for a certain time. Whether it is six months or a year, supplies will run out. If there is some kind of “zombie apocalypse” to deal with, it seems that everyone will eventually be forced to do what the characters on The Walking Dead must do – find a way to survive off the land and what has not already been foraged. It would seem that this planning will bring everyone back to square one, so you wonder about what good it is to do it in the first place.

I remember in the great George A. Romero film Dawn of the Dead (1978) one character tells his girlfriend: "We have to survive; someone has to survive!" It is not like I don't get that attitude, but my fear would be survival at all costs only to be overwhelmed by the post event realities. If only you and your family survive, what kind of life will that be? If you run out of food and water, do you start eating contaminated food and drinking spoiled water? What happens to the children when they grow up and you die?

All of these questions and more run through my head as I watch these episodes. I think the answers are ones that should make all of us feel uneasy. In the old days when the Soviet Union was in an arms race with us, kids were told to cover their heads under their desks in school in case of an nuclear attack. We all know how that scenario would have turned out in a real attack – there would have been a lot of kids found dead under their desks. In this case I think these people feel they need to do something to survive, but when the event is over and they come up out of their bunkers, they might be shaken by what's left of the world, if there is any world left at all.

If you visit the Doomsday Preppers website, a free preppers’ app is available. I don’t know about you, but even this benign little cartoon scares the heck out of me. Who wants to look at their phone and get a daily reminder of how unprepared they are?

One thing is for certain: this is a show that can be addictive, but it also sets up the premise that it is better to be prepared than not, but in the end there may be not much of a difference for any of us, and that is why I find this show to be the scariest thing on TV.

Photo Credits: ncg.com

Friday, December 28, 2012

After Christmas “Play” Is Definitely the Thing

Article first published as After Christmas “Play” Is Definitely the Thing on Blogcritics.

Everyone knows the line from the song “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas” that goes “And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again.” Truthfully, since I became a parent, I have always taken exception to that line. For me being home with the kids is just about the best Christmas present ever. With the bad weather we have been having here in New York, it has also given us a time to really get to do one thing I never do in the real world of work: play! I am enjoying every minute of it.

We adults just do not get enough time to play. Walk into any Pre-K classroom and you will see the kids getting some work done, but then they get to have playtime and that develops different (and sometimes more essential) skills such as sharing, creating, and building. Pre-K kids also take a nice nap midway through their day, and that’s another thing we skip because we are just too busy.

Getting back to playing, I have been doing so much of it. Santa was very good to my children, and I am reaping the rewards of his generosity. My daughter’s American Girl doll (McKenna) is a gymnast by trade; therefore, I have seen every outfit imaginable that this active little girl could wear. I have also put on and taken off her cast seemingly a hundred times. Apparently, even dolls can break an ankle in gymnastics.


My son has gotten toys I could only imagine as a boy. The first thing he got was a cowboy town by Playmobil that includes a Bank and a Sheriff’s Office. The details are fantastic on these toys, and the characters come with revolvers, rifles, a safe with money, and a jail cell (with a locking door). We have had so many shootouts, bank robberies, and escapes from jail (the wall breaks away to let prisoners escape) that allow the game to start over again and again. What a great toy!


The next thing Santa must have had a hard time getting. My son likes the Nick Jr. show Mike the Knight, and he put it on his list that he wanted the castle and characters. I exhausted a search in toy stores here, but I hoped Santa would find it (apparently he went all the way to the U.K. to acquire it). Two sets came (the castle and a Viking adventure) that my son and I have enjoyed playing with. Mike comes with a horse and two friendly dragons that help him save the day against the mean Viking warrior. We have been saving the day a lot lately.
Another amazing toy is the Bat Cave from Fisher Price’s Imaginext line. The details on this toy are amazing. When I was a kid I could never have dreamed of having a Bat Cave like this. It has a working elevator, a cannon, rotating motorcycle bay, a jail cell, and many other features. Santa really knows how to pick a winner. I can’t tell you how many times Batman and Robin have beaten the bad guys up, thrown them in jail, and then gone to the Krusty Krab (part of another great play set) to have a Krabby Patty after a busy day of crime fighting. The only bad part is the bad guys always escape while Batman and Robin are visiting SpongeBob and friends. When will they ever learn?

I could go on and on, but isn’t that the whole point? In these days after Christmas, playing is definitely one of the best things about my time off with the kids. Since my son is in preschool, he gets the bulk of the playing time because my daughter (in middle school) wants to also explore her new iPod and use the computer, but her new Wii games do provide an opportunity for the three of us to interact and play together, as do new Furbys who are much, much more evolved since the old ones hit the scene. These Furbys never stop interacting, and during the night one of them sometimes says something in Furbish (the Furby language) and gets the other one going. Oh, and there is no way to turn a Furby off. Thanks so much, Santa!

Overall, these days off with the kids provide us with hours of entertainment and enjoyment of discovering new toys. We are exploring new worlds of Vikings, cowboys, superheroes, undersea friends, an outstanding gymnast, and alien creatures (I’m pretty sure a Furby is not of this world). I am having so much fun I feel almost guilty, but then I realize that is the whole point of playing.

We adults who work so hard should definitely take the time to really play. If you don’t have kids, this could extend in all different directions. Find a hobby. A good friend of mine builds excruciatingly detailed models of the Titanic, the Empire State Building, and spaceships from Star Trek. Perhaps you like to sing, so get thee to a Karaoke club. Like to draw or paint? Take a class or just get out to the park and start your masterpiece. You can also get into sports. I know people who love to loose themselves on the golf course; if that’s not just like kids playing, I don’t know what is.

These days are going too fast. Soon I will be back to work and I will miss the time I have with the kids. In the real world there is always homework in the evening and early bedtimes, but we can sneak in a little playing here and there until the weekend comes. I will look back fondly on these days as will my kids, and the most important thing we are doing is building memories that will last a lifetime.

Now, I must get back to more important things. Batman and Robin just left the Krusty Krab, jumped in the Batmobile, and are making their way back to the Bat Cave. Bane has just released the Joker, Penguin, Riddler, and Two-Face from jail and my son and I have work to do.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Jack Klugman Dies – His Oscar Madison Was TV’s Ultimate Mets Fan

Article first published as Jack Klugman Dies – His Oscar Madison Was TV’s Ultimate Mets Fan on Blogcritics.

When I heard that Jack Klugman died, I felt a loss that seemed almost personal. Mr. Klugman was an accomplished actor appearing on stage, TV, and in movies. Whatever he may have done before or after, Jack will always be Oscar Madison for so many fans of The Odd Couple, the TV series adapted from the Neil Simon play and film with the same title.
For me, I identified with Oscar because not only did he love sports, but he also was a NY Mets fan. As a sportswriter he got to cover all sorts of games and meet athletes, and as a kid that seemed like an ideal job, but the fact that he proudly wore his Mets cap in many episodes made him a kindred spirit. How could we not like Oscar (and even side with him) knowing he was an underdog just like our team?

The set-up in The Odd Couple was always comedy gold. A neat freak photographer named Felix Unger (played impeccably by Tony Randall) moves into the apartment of his childhood friend (Madison) after his wife throws him out. The reason for the breakup becomes quickly apparent to the viewer: Unger would drive anyone crazy with his idiosyncrasies, but for Madison (at times uncouth, vulgar, and a confirmed slob) Felix becomes not only a butler but a chef, setting up a quid pro quo that forces Madison to keep him around despite Felix’s many annoying habits.

Klugman seemed born for the role. Following in the footsteps of Walter Matthau (who portrayed Madison in the film and on stage), Klugman gave Oscar a softer touch than Matthau, and Klugman’s Oscar did at times appear to like Felix. Despite many confrontations, Klugman’s Oscar seemed to know he was better off with Felix than without him.

When I think of Klugman now, I see him wearing that Mets hat, cigar firmly clenched between his teeth, banging out a story on an old manual typewriter. This Oscar was the typical blue collar New York guy, like most Mets fans, and we could identify with him as he tried to get the story done, many times while suffering the slings and arrows of the annoying Unger. Jack Klugman’s gone now, but I will always remember his portrayal of one of TV’s most indelible characters who just happened to be a Mets fan. Rest in peace, Jack Klugman.

Photo credits: klugman- newsday.com;odd couple- cnn.com

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

A Great Song for the Day After Christmas - "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Vince Vance and the Valiants

Article first published as A Great Song for the Day After Christmas – “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Vince Vance and the Valiants on Blogcritics.

I don’t know about you, but December 26 is about sleeping late, unless you have kids like I do who get you up at an ungodly hour in order to get to the new toys that they haven’t played with yet. So as my kids sat here and played, I turned on the radio and what to my wondering mind would appear, but the incessant playing of Christmas music on my favorite FM stations was now gone. I could not find a Christmas song anywhere on the dial.

To remedy the day after Christmas blues and a musical vacuum of sorts, I sat down and finally checked out a song I had been hearing all December long: “All I Want for Christmas is You.” This is not the song made famous by Mariah Carey (co-written with Walter Afanasieff), but rather a completely different one performed by Vince Vance and the Valiants. Written by Troy Powers and Andy Stone, the song was recorded in 1989 and the lead vocal is rendered by Lisa Layne. Her distinctive delivery is what attracted me to the song, and the music has a hint of country twang that makes it stand out on a New York radio station.

When I sought out the video, I saw for the first time what the singer looked like. A beautiful girl who looks like a model, she seemed to be lip-synching, but then again that’s what most everyone does in videos, especially ones from the 80s. However, I was not satisfied and did some research. It turns out that the girl in the video in not Ms. Layne, but Lori Nunn, a former Miss Forth Worth. She certainly looks great in the video, almost incongruously because the storyline shows her pining for Mr. Vance, with his big hair and all his weird choices of clothing.

It is a strange video to say the least, but the music and vocals are what matter most here. Take a moment to listen to this great song. If you are feeling a little down with the after the holiday blues, I wager that this tune will lift your spirits almost as high as Mr. Vance’s hair. Enjoy!






Here is Lisa Layne singing it live in 2010:



Photo Credit: 123rf.com

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Video Review: Alastair Sim is the Definitive Scrooge in A Christmas Carol

Article first published as Video Review: Alastair Sim is the Definitive Scrooge in A Christmas Carol on Blogcritics.

Earlier this year I uncovered a box of videotapes I had recorded over a period spanning from 1985 through the late 90s. The eclectic collection included such TV shows as Magnum P.I., The A-Team, Columbo, NYPD Blue, and Seinfeld. There were also many movies in the mix, and most of them are in great condition for viewing. When I found A Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim as the miserly Scrooge, I put it aside as a Christmas present to be watched closer to the holiday.

Having just viewed the movie, I understand why Sim is called the “definitive” Scrooge by many critics. The film – released as Scrooge in the U.K. – realizes the essence of the characters and London of that time period, but more importantly Sim rises above the rest of those who have portrayed Scrooge due to a multi-layered performance that captures the wicked brutality of the man but also his underlying good heart.

Even in the first portion of the film before he is visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley (Michael Hordem), Scrooge spouts “Humbug” but Sim allows us to see underneath the veneer. We realize this is a man who once celebrated Christmas as well as anyone but was changed somehow. He fights against that former self when his nephew Fred (Brian Worth) visits his office and invites him for Christmas dinner. So ingrained is the greedy nature that has subsumed him, he scoffs at the offer and complains about Fred’s marriage to a poor girl. Later, as he leaves Bob Cratchit (an excellent Mervyn Johns) and makes a snide remark about “retiring to Bedlam” (since Cratchit is so poor and yet says “Merry Christmas”), we can see that he is a lost soul heading out into a dark night to mark Christmas all alone.

Sim begins Scrooge’s remarkable transformation slowly, but on film it takes a deft actor to achieve the nuances so well. As Marley shakes his chains and Scrooge cowers on the floor, we already see the ice that encases his heart start thawing. Then, as each spirit takes Scrooge on a journey of “reclamation,” his layers are peeled back, his cold heart warmed, and he starts thinking of his fellow human beings again.

It didn’t hurt Sim to be surrounded by so many fine actors (even Patrick MacNee as a young Jacob Marley). There is also a slam-bang musical score by Richard Addinsell, and Brian Desmond Hurst’s direction is topnotch. The entire feel of the movie is just right, taking us to that cold and dreary London of the 1830s where the poor kept getting poorer and dying, just as Tiny Tim (Glyn Dearman) would most surely had if not for the change in Scrooge’s heart.

When Scrooge wakes up on Christmas morning a changed man, Sim is a revelation as his face shows a transmogrified spirit, almost as if he has shed his skin and become a new being. His enlightened expression and happy demeanor scares the housekeeper Mrs. Dilber (a delightful Kathleen Harrison), who thinks he has gone off his rocker, but he chases her down the stairs, gives her money, and a kiss. We see the new Scrooge not just as a happy man but as the one he was always meant to be.

I think most people know this story and have seen a film version or two, including the most recent one with Jim Carrey. But no one has seen A Christmas Carol the way it was meant to be (as close to the text of the novella by Charles Dickens as it can be) unless they have seen this one. Sim will make you cry as you see him watch his sister die for a second time and ask for her forgiveness, but in the end we are left with the catharsis that no doubt Dickens wanted us to have when Scrooge walks with a healthy Tiny Tim down a London street.

This is a man who indeed knows how to keep Christmas, and Sim brings us there and leaves us smiling. If nothing else, you should see this film to witness a great actor inhabit a role and leave an indelible image of that character in your mind. Whenever someone says something about Ebenezer Scrooge, I envision Sim in his top hat grumbing “Humbug!” After you watch this film I believe you will too.

Photo Credits: hometheatreforum.com, orlandosentinel.com

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Media Coverage of Connecticut Funerals Appallingly Insensitive

Article first published as Media Coverage of Connecticut Funerals Appallingly Insensitive on Blogcritics.

There are some things in this world that should be private, and among them is saying goodbye to a loved one. If Elvis Presley or Michael Jackson dies, one can understand the public nature of the services and the media’s need to cover the proceedings; however, even then there is a rush to highlight the emotions of other famous people in attendance, and the feeling is one of invasion during what should be a private matter.

The tiny, quiet village known as Newtown, Connecticut, had no illusions about becoming anything but what it was (small-town Americana at its best) before the horrific events of December 14, 2012. Since then, the media has descended upon this town like buzzards in the desert flying around a dying man. Not only is this continued presence causing discomfort for the families who have to lay their loved ones to rest, but it also has become a source of frustration for the other residents of the hamlet.
I can imagine that each morning the people of Newtown wake up, look out the window, and feel like they are living a recurring nightmare something like Bill Murray’s character in the film Groundhog day. While that movie was played for laughs with some dark undertones, this current situation is nothing funny and is actually becoming more gruesome with each passing day.

Sometimes I catch a couple of seconds of some coverage, and I wince as I witness Erin Burnett of CNN’s OutFront chattering with townsfolk as if this is something we should be watching every day. I quickly change the channel, but she is not the only guilty party, and I find the same thing happening on other networks. It reminds me of the media camping out and waiting for the OJ verdict or some other journalistic shark feeding. The problem is that this is not “news” but rather the saddest chapter in the lives of these families, and they deserve to be able to say goodbye without the hovering of reporters, photographers, and curious tourists from other places who get some kind of vicarious pleasure out of this kind of thing.

During this week since the shootings I have refused to watch the TV coverage, mostly because it seems to be geared to getting more ratings than anything that is worth reporting as news. I also feel it is incongruous to continue to do pieces on the killer and his family and find these reports offensive. I know this attracts the voyeurs and oddballs who like to know what makes a nutcase tick, but there is an even more nefarious side to this: the next mass murderer is probably recording all of this and plotting his own big move, confident that he will get the same media coverage as this guy.

For this reason I have not mentioned the killer’s name, nor will I. We should not be enhancing his stature to the wannabees out there, to the psychopaths who feel this is a twisted form of glory. Quite frankly I do not care why he snapped, what his motivation was, or anything about his life. He is only in the news because he did something so disgustingly inhuman that it makes me truly sick. The only thing I wish I heard about him was that he had blown his own brains out before he hurt his mother or went to that school.

Eventually, all the dead will be buried in Newtown, and the insipid media types will pack their bags and cameras onto trucks and leave the town to mourn in silence. It will be too late then to change anything, to make it right is past being possible, and the families will be staring at their lost children’s pictures for years to come wondering why. There is no satisfactory answer and there never will be, and the next tragedy awaits and the cameras and reporters will be there too, like roaches when the lights come on.

Everyone always talks about rights, but grieving families most certainly have rights like anyone else. We have seen an egregious case of abuse perpetrated by the media in Newtown. Something should change that would allow people in a case like this to have a chance for privacy and to grieve out of the media spotlight but, as long as there is freedom of speech and of the press there will be no respite from the glare of lights and the droves of reporters eager to get that story. I would like to think that common human decency would prevail in such matters, but I am learning the hard way that this will never happen, just asthe residents of Newtown have during this media blitz.

I feel such sorrow for those Newtown families that lost loved ones, but I am angered by the networks that have perpetrated this continuing coverage and those viewers who have a need to watch as this mourning unfolds on TV. Why do they need to see these funerals or to have reporters talk about it? What have we become and how have we gotten to this horrific place? I fear the answers may be just too hard for us to take.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Connecticut School Shootings Shake Up Parents and Educators

Article first published as Connecticut School Shootings Shake Up Parents and Educators on Blogcritics.

The school shootings in a quiet Connecticut town have shaken us all up. Parents, children, teachers, and school administrators everywhere are asking “Why?” President Obama became teary eyed as he spoke about it, no doubt thinking of his own children as all we parents are right now. Inevitably, this becomes a political football for the gun control people as well as the people at the NRA. Each side will stake its claim, and I am certainly not writing about any of that. My purpose here is to react as a parent and as a school administrator to what has kept me awake the last two nights.

Let me say straightaway that there is no making sense of this because there is no making sense of it. The very nature of such an act of brutality is beyond comprehension for rational people. We go about our lives doing everything in our power to sustain life, to keep our children safe, and to take care of those near and dear to us. We also, if we are in such a position, sometimes must take care of those other than our family members.

As a school administrator, I am always thinking about school security (besides the hundreds of other things that need to be done). When I heard that Dawn Hochsprung, principal of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, was shot trying to stop the gunman, I understood immediately the place from which Ms. Hochsprung got her motivation. She reacted just as the firefighters who went upstairs in the World Trade Center on 9/11 while everyone else was coming down. This goes beyond the call of duty because it is a truly sacred mission that pushes you forward.
in loco parentis. This basically means that we educators are “in place of the parents” during that school day, and you can get no better example of that than these brave individuals who sacrificed their lives for their students.

There is so much for us to think about now as parents. I have talked with my kids this weekend, ascertaining their level of understanding of the situation. My pre-school child has no idea what happened, so I have said nothing to him. My middle school child is more than aware of the situation, and we have spoken about it a bit, but she seems like she is thinking deeply and probably has to process it more. We have definitely limited the TV to watching benign things such as a few Christmas specials and the shows my little on likes on Nick Jr. and Disney Junior.

I cannot help but to keep thinking about those 20 lost children as I watch these shows with my children. No doubt these little ones watched these same shows, were excited about the impending holidays, had written their letters to Santa, and had visions of the toys and games that he would bring. Their parents must have wrapped gifts, decorated houses, and now they sit in the silence of mourning in homes that should have been brimming with festivity. How can this Christmas, and all the Christmases to come for that matter, ever be anything but a time to grieve?

I know that so much more will be said about this horrific story in the days and weeks to come. As someone who lost a family member on 9/11, I know how a story just doesn’t go away. The same thing will happen for these people who have lost loved ones. December 14 is their 9/11 now and every year forevermore. People used to say that you have to get over it in reference to 9/11, but as anyone who lost someone that day knows, there is no getting over it. The same will be true for the parents, friends, children, and spouses of those lost.

An even more daunting task awaits all of us tomorrow. Children came home from school on Friday in a normal state of mind. They will board school buses tomorrow differently. Those older ones will be thinking about what happened, wondering if their schools are safe, and waiting to hear something from their principals and teachers. There may be some children (perhaps many) who are afraid to go to school. We as parents must ground them in the notion that this was an aberration, something that happened that is isolated and far removed from their schools and lives; however, as we say this we parents also know the truth: that it can happen anywhere, as this incident so chillingly proves beyond a doubt.

There is one thing of which you can be certain: teachers and administrators will be ready tomorrow to deal with the students and their concerns. School district leaders and administrators have learned so much since 9/11, and much of this has been realized in better crisis management plans and increased security. Unfortunately, all the enhanced security that was in place at Sandy Hook did not stop that madman. This is a reality we face and a vulnerability that continually needs to be understood and addressed.

I overheard people talking this morning outside on the church steps after Mass, and one of the men said something that seemed almost equally scary as the attack. He said that every school needs to become like a high security prison, with an armed guard at the entrance and metal detectors. I did not want to get into a conversation like that, but I kept thinking on the way home that this is beyond a nightmare scenario.

Do our schools need to become so secure that they are shuttered and locked down? My fear is that we will become so adept at keeping people out that the students inside will feel incarcerated more than educated. It seems like a high price to pay for peace of mind, but it may become inevitable in the coming years. How sad for our children; how sad for us all.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Knicks-Nets New Rivalry Reminiscent of Baseball’s Dodgers-Giants

Article first published as Knicks-Nets New Rivalry Reminiscent of Baseball’s Dodgers-Giants on Blogcritics.

It is clearly early going in the NBA season, but one look at the standings and we see the Knicks (15-5) atop of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference, with the Nets (11-8) in second place. Both teams have been playing well enough to gain attention of the locals, even those who are not big basketball fans. It used to be quiet around here when the Knicks played the Nets (having a lot to do with the Nets being almost forgotten over in New Jersey), but now the city is abuzz with the new rivalry between its two basketball teams.

My father made a comment that looking at the standings reminded him of the good old baseball days when the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers played in the same division and maintained a healthy (but heated) rivalry. Looking at the newspaper the teams were listed as New York and Brooklyn, and the truth is that hasn’t been possible to see around here since 1957. The New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets clearly are the city’s teams and the fans are excited about them again.

Long ago I used to be a Nets fan. As a kid my father took me to the games in the old Island Garden, a small and intimate arena in West Hempstead where you really felt right on top of the court. My heroes were Rick Barry, Bill Melchionni, and Julius Erving (the great Dr. J who played all too briefly for the team). As a Queens boy I enjoyed the idea that the team was in a rival league (ABA) to Manhattan’s NBA Knicks, using that red, white, and blue basketball, and had a player (Dr. J) who grew up on Long Island. When the Nets won the title in 1974, I was ecstatic. However, my joy was to be short lived as the inevitable ABA-NBA merger would send Dr. J packing.

When the team left for New Jersey after the 1977 season, I knew I could never root for it again (little did I know my Jets would soon follow a similar path). I switched allegiance to the Knicks and have been a fan ever since. Now, being a Knicks fan all these years has had its ups and downs, but even though the Nets are back in New York, I feel no inclination to change hats again; however, I do like the idea of a home team in Brooklyn, and Barclays Center is not far from Bedford Avenue and Sullivan Place where Ebbets Field used to stand.

We have excitement again about two professional sports teams that are legitimately New York teams – unlike the Jets and Giants. The rivalry is starting to get cooking, though the Nets have stumbled in their last four games and the Knicks are starting to look less than invincible.
In a year when the NHL has without question disappeared off the radar, it is nice to have basketball games that matter again to get us through the winter after the last football snap.

Perhaps in the spring we will have a race for a division title by New York and Brooklyn teams, and that has as sweet a sound to it for New York fans than anything they have heard in a long time.

Photo Credits: bleacherreport.com and ebony.com

Monday, December 3, 2012

Cop Buying Homeless Man Shoes - A Great Christmas Story

Article first published as Cop Buying Homeless Man Shoes - A Great Christmas Story on Blogcritics.

It reminds me of something right out of Dickens, or maybe even more appropriately O. Henry, where a selfless gift is seen not just as an act of kindness but a microcosm of all that is good in us. Anne Frank once famously wrote that despite all that happened “I believe that people are really good at heart.” As if meant to confirm this, here in New York City we have a young cop buying boots for a homeless man, getting caught on a tourist’s camera doing so, and becoming something of a celebrity.

This is probably an even greater story for New Yorkers coming in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and right at the start of the holiday season. People like to think New Yorkers are tough and uncaring, but we really all want to rise above that reputation established by the media, movies, and TV. New Yorkers do show they care all the time, and in those desperate moments like 9/11 and the hurricane, the best of the city always shines brightly as neighbors help neighbors and strangers too.

We can only wonder what Police Officer Larry DePrimo thought when he first saw 54-year-old Jeffery Hillman sitting barefoot in the cold. He could have shrugged it off as just another homeless guy on the beat and walked away; he could have also given the man a hard time or forced him to go to a shelter. With the cold night approaching, frostbite and even death were distinct possibilities.

The story gets to us as we hear that the cop asked the man if he had anything for his feet. Hillman told him that he did not and, in fact, that he never had a pair of shoes. Hillman started walking away, but DePrimo did not give up on him. He followed the man and went into a nearby Skechers store and bought the pair of $100 boots, with the store manager giving him an employee discount to cut the price in half. DePrimo went outside, gave the man the boots, and then Arizona tourist Jennifer Foster took the picture that everyone is talking about. It seems a certainty that DePrimo did this selflessly and expected no fanfare, but now he has gone on the Today show and CNN to talk about his actions. Even tourist Foster made it clear that what the cop did was “an act of human kindness and he had absolutely no intention of receiving any credit for it.”

Of course, there are always naysayers. I heard people complaining on talk radio here in New York that the cop should have been doing his job instead of buying a guy shoes. Another questioned the impropriety of getting the employee discount, and still others felt he knew that the woman was there with her phone ready to snap the picture.

Not to be let it end there, other reports came out about Hillman suggesting that he was a petty criminal and a scam artist. He had been arrested many times for drug possession and other things. It was also said that the man frequently walked around barefoot to get money from sympathetic passersby and tourists.

This negativity seems just an attempt to ruin a perfectly good story about a good guy doing the right thing, but we New Yorkers are not letting these Grinches and Scrooges get to us. We know Larry DePrimo did this for all the right reasons, and he should get a commendation or whatever else the NYPD can do to recognize this fine fellow.

As for Mr. Hillman, I heard on the radio tonight that he has two siblings who were shocked to see his picture in the newspaper. His younger brother told a reporter that he hopes that Jeffery will come home for Christmas. For this story to have a really happy ending, we have to hope that Mr. Hillman will go back to his family. At least we know that he will be wearing a nice pair of boots if he does. Ah, yes, wouldn’t that be the O. Henry ending and then some.

Photo Credits: DePrimo and Hillman-hollywoodgossip; DePrimo-thedailybeast.com

Sunday, December 2, 2012

The Mets Make the Wright Move

Article first published as The Mets Make the Wright Move on Blogcritics.

A long time ago they used to call NY Mets pitcher Tom Seaver “The Franchise,” meaning that he was the face of the organization. Seaver was everything a manager, the ownership, and the fans could want from a ballplayer: photogenic, charismatic, and a talented pitcher. He spoke eloquently and passionately about baseball, and he always represented the organization well. That is probably why I (along with so many other Mets fans) was crushed when he was traded.

Flash forward to 2012, and the Mets have now found their new face of the organization as they have offered David Wright a seven year, $122 million dollar extension to his contract. In doing so the Mets have made their most lucrative deal with a player ever (going beyond what they spent on Carlos Beltran). They have made it clear to Wright that he is now the second coming of “The Franchise.” It is up to him to meet the terms of all the expectations associated with that.

Over the years it was always said that Jose Reyes and Wright were the new blood of the Mets. It seemed like they were the Dynamic Duo of Flushing, and upon their shoulders rested the hopes and dreams of the team and the fans for a new championship. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t have a happy ending the way we envisioned. The team became disillusioned with Reyes, questioning his work ethic, even though fans continued to love him. When he left, many fans were scratching their heads and worried that Wright could be gone too.

The team has made an enormous commitment to Wright, and now he must return the favor. By bestowing the largest contract ever offered by the team on him, the organization is saying that he is their man. They are saying he is the anointed one, the one who will bring a championship back to Flushing. Now Wright must do everything in his power to honor this trust and return the favor.

I really like Wright and always have. He is not the greatest everyday player the Mets ever had (that is Beltran), but he is a very fine player with great skills and a wonderful attitude. His amiable personality has endeared him to fans, and it is clear that the Mets were willing to invest in him largely because he is willing to be the spokesperson for the team just as Tom Seaver always was.

David Wright is now “The Franchise.” He follows in the rather large footsteps of Met legend Tom Seaver. Yes, those are enormously big shoes to step into, but I believe in Wright and I think he is the man to do it. Now, he cannot do it alone, so the team must now sign R.A. Dickey, get a true closer, and some outfielder with power. There is much to be done before spring training, and now they must show the fans they are not just willing to do the Wright thing once. They need to make more moves to do right by their third baseman and the fans and compete in 2013.

Photo credit: AP

Monday, November 26, 2012

Larry Hagman Dies: Remembering the Shot Heard Around the World

Article first published as Larry Hagman Dies: Remembering the Shot Heard Around the World on Blogcritics.

It has been 32 years since the headlines screamed out “Who Shot J.R.?” and created a cultural phenomenon that shook the world. It was an advertising dreamtime for CBS and its Dallas TV series, a nighttime soap opera that was for a time the biggest thing around. Back in 1980 there was no way anyone could have escaped the mania involved with the shooting of one of the nastiest villains ever to appear on television screens.

To his credit Hagman made J.R. more than a villain. In a time when Darth Vader could be seen as cinema’s worst bad guy, there was something very sterile about him, almost robotic. Not so with John Ross Ewing Junior as played by Hagman. He was a complicated fellow, with internal and external conflicts that would rival the title characters in Shakespeare’s Macbeth or Othello. J.R. loved his mother Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes), had a love-hate relationship with his wife Sue Ellen (Linda Gray), craved his father Jock’s (Jim Davis) approval, despised his brother Bobby’s (Patrick Duffy) wife Pam (Victoria Principal), and had an equally evil nemesis in Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval). There were plenty of opportunities for dysfunction at every turn at the sprawling Southfork Ranch where the family lived, and the audience loved it for fourteen seasons (1978-1991).

By the time J.R. seemed to get his comeuppance with a bullet that ended season three, the frenzy about learning the name of his assailant reached juggernaut proportions. There were stories in newspapers, magazines, and on TV about it, and the Dallas cast kept the secret extremely well. I remember having friends overseas at the time and even they were caught up in the mania. By the time the shooter was revealed to be his mistress and sister-in-law Kristin Shephard (Mary Crosby), everyone was surprised and delighted. Of course, J.R. made a full recovery and got quickly back to his dastardly ways.

I just typed “Who shot” into Google and the first thing to come up was “Who Shot J.R.?” After 32 years, that is pretty amazing. What followed were 217,000,000 results in three seconds, and it is hard to believe that too. Hagman’s villain did leave his mark on TV because it changed the way many shows operated. It became clear that an ostensibly bad guy could actually be the lead character of a successful TV show. Over the years that tactic was used again – just think of James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano in The Sopranos and Michael Chiklis as Vic Mackey in The Shield as examples.

While I always found Hagman’s portrayal of the evil J.R. quite enjoyable, my favorite memory of him was on a very different show. He played astronaut Tony Nelson in the 1960s comedy I Dream of Jeannie. Tony finds an old bottle when he is stranded on an island and releases a beautiful genie (Barbara Eden), whom he takes home with him when rescued. Hagman made quite an impression in this series as an entirely likeable and funny character, and I think that many people will remember him fondly for this role.

Hagman had been starring in a new version of Dallas that started earlier this year on TNT. Though some of the old characters did return, I must honestly say I never saw an episode, so I cannot comment on it. I know it was renewed for a second season, but I am sure that Hagman’s death will greatly affect the future of that series.

At this point Larry Hagman has a secure place in TV history as one of the best bad guys ever. Rest in peace, Larry Hagman and J.R. Ewing!

Photo credits: extratv.com; nypost.com

Friday, November 23, 2012

NHL Turkey Talk Fails to Gobble Up Lockout

Article first published as NHL Turkey Talk Fails to Gobble Up Lockout on Blogcritics.

The National Hockey League and the NHL Players Association are a bunch of turkeys. Even on Thanksgiving Eve they failed to come up with a solution to the lockout, with the league yet again rejecting the union’s proposal. After the meeting NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said, “There was movement by us on some issues, but we’re still far apart.” In other words, once again, the fans are discounted as the lockout has gone on 68 days now.

Union executive director Donald Fehr said of the union’s rejected five year offer, “On the big things, there was no reciprocity,” which means that the two sides cannot agree on how to play nice. Yes, the “big things” are revenue and player contracts, with the $67.25 million salary cap one of the things players want guaranteed. To this Bettman responded that the union “isn’t particularly realistic,” noting that losses in revenue continue to accrue as the lost season continues.

To the average fan none of this matters. Arenas remain dark, players are off to all corners with their skates hanging from a hook in the closet, and time is wasting away. As of now there is a distinct possibility that the December schedule is gone, though the NHL has not announced that officially. The way things are going, the entire season is in serious jeopardy.

So, for me, once a loyal NY Islanders fan, enough is enough. I am so tired of these lockouts in professional sports. The lucrative player contracts, the huge money generated by network deals, and the enormous revenue that is there for both sides is never enough. They are so angry with each other that they are like two kids on a playground who want the same swing, and there is never going to be enough room for both to sit down on it. The problem is that as long as they don’t play nice, the fans suffer.

Today I took my Islanders gear out of the closet, shoved it in a box, and put it out in the trash. I reached this point because I believe that this season is gone, and so too is my allegiance to the team and to the sport. I can honestly live without hockey. My Knicks are playing impressively, the Jets keep me interested – even if they are struggling this year (again) – and before I know it my Mets will begin spring training, so I have plenty to keep me entertained.

So on this Thanksgiving Day I give thanks for seeing the light. I am done with hockey. I am tired of the turkeys on both sides, and I have a Jets football game to watch tonight after the big meal. Goodbye, NHL, and good riddance.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

We Need to Celebrate Thanksgiving After Hurricane Sandy

Article first published as We Need to Celebrate Thanksgiving After Hurricane Sandy on Blogcritics.

Hurricane Sandy caused at least $50 billion worth of damage across the northeast, giving the worst of its wrath to places like New York’s Staten Island, Manhattan, and Long Island. Many people lost everything, with homes washed away or burned to the ground. Others spent days or even weeks without electricity, and even now many of us here still walk around as if in a collective daze. Just a gust of wind gets us nervous, forcing us to anxiously glance up at trees and power lines.

The only thing I can think of that had a similar impact was 9-11-2001, when afterwards the sight of jet planes made me shiver. Even now I pause briefly when I hear the sound of plane engines, unable to shake the memory of that day and, as if I could ever forget, all I need to do is look at the skyline of my city to know it has been changed irrevocably.


While 9/11 had a focused impact on what we called Ground Zero here in New York, Sandy’s path of destruction was a much wider one. It too changed landscapes forever, toppling a devastatingly high number of trees, destroying homes, ripping apart infrastructure, and shattering lives. Just go down to Long Beach or Island Park on Long Island, and you will see the carnage that was left behind, the detritus of lives forever altered by the ferocity of Mother Nature’s seemingly unforgiving hand.

Now in these days after the catastrophic event, it is more important than ever to seek normalcy in things that remind us of better times, happy things, and the people who matter most to us. The “holidays” represent an opportunity to bring some kind of joy to people, to put smiles on faces that have had nothing but the heft of loss and despair to think about.

Many of us have done our part in these last weeks: collecting clothes, cleaning supplies, food, and water; we have also raised money to help those who have nothing left. All of these things are substantial and tangible, but the intangible things matter too at times like these.


The Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City is one thing that has always brought New Yorkers together – millions of them – at one time. The only comparable event is New Year’s Eve in Times Square. Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the “holidays” and New Year’s Eve the end, and during the time in between this year it will be important to remember to continue to do the job of helping those who lost so much during the hurricane.

Thanksgiving is a time to say “Thank you” as much as possible. People mistakenly think of this as some kind of religious thing, though there is nothing wrong with people who worship their god to give thanks to him/her; however, giving thanks is something that should be done between people as well. We should thank all those first responders who went beyond the call of duty to help during the storm. Just as the firefighters went up the stairs in the Twin Towers on 9/11 while everyone else was coming down, these brave souls ventured out into the storm to do their jobs while everyone else was hunkered down somewhere in a presumably safe place.

After the storm there were so many people who tried to help, some driving all the way to New York from places as far away as Texas and Canada to offer supplies and a helping hand. Neighbors took in neighbors who lost everything, and ever dependable family members did the same. As is usually the case, New Yorkers come together to help during a crisis, and this time is no exception. All of these people deserve a great big hearty “Thank you” for a job well done.

So this Thanksgiving is the start of something: a holiday season unlike any other here in New York since 9/11. All of us who got through the storm relatively unscathed should be thankful for that, and we need to extend that thankfulness outwardly as far as possible. We need to continue to give and to care and do what New Yorkers do best now and in the weeks and months to come.

I remember walking down the street in Queens in the weeks before Christmas after 9/11 and encountering a vast display of lights outside one home. I saw a man coming down a ladder who had just strung even more lights along the roof. I said something to him about it being an amazing array, and he said, “I’ve decorated more than ever this year because I am sending a message out into space. I want everyone to know they can’t keep us New Yorkers down.”

So this year we need to celebrate the holidays with full vim and vigor. We need to do whatever we can to help others, and we do need to send a message of light to permeate the darkness, one that seemed to last forever after the storm for so many. Now it all starts with Thanksgiving, and this year more than ever we need to give thanks and to be thankful, while assisting those who are the most needy. Most importantly, we need to put smiles on those faces that have had nothing to smile about for what seems like such a long time, and that time is now.

Photo Credits: parade-abcnews.com; long beach-nydailynews

Monday, November 19, 2012

Movie Review: Skyfall - Last Rat Standing

Article first published as Movie Review: Skyfall - Last Rat Standing on Blogcritics.

In the world of James Bond, super-agent for the British government, we expect girls, guns, and gadgets galore, but what we do not usually expect is great depth. Director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road, Jarhead) and actor Daniel Craig are not opposed to this history; rather, they mine it for all it’s worth while extending the metaphor of “license to kill” to encompass so much more. In doing so, Skyfall may just be the best Bond movie ever, or at least one of the top two or three (my favorites being From Russia With Love and Goldfinger). This is because despite all the usual and expected trappings, we get more into Bond’s psyche and history, thus understanding him more than as a caricature of our imaginations.

The story once again takes place in exotic locations – Shanghai, Macau, and a smashing opening sequence in Turkey – but there is also much of the film taking place in England, London specifically, taking us into the Tube and the streets like no Bond has ever done before. When Bond complains about the crowds waiting on the platform to the new and much younger Q (Ben Wishaw), he gets the response that we would expect from a young guy, but also a truism because Bond has probably never been on a train as a passenger in the Underground before.

The story is basically typical Bond, except that in the beginning Bond is out of the game and living the good life, so to speak, playing drinking games with scorpions and spending time with a beautiful woman. Still, he gazes out the window, looks a bit lost, and we imagine he misses the old life. Only by chance does he hear a CNN broadcast about an attack of the MI6 headquarters in London, and thus he is motivated to get back in the action.

When he returns from the “dead” to meet M (Judi Dench) in her London flat, she is not that surprised to see him (even though she has recently written an obituary for him). Bond wants in but he has been out for so long that he must take a series of tests to be qualified as an agent again. Much is made of him being “old” and even M reminds him that he’s been in the game too long, and you get the feeling that time isn’t kind to secret agents either; but Bond wants to avenge the death of fellow Agent Ronson (Bill Buckhurst), who died in Istanbul and lost a list of embedded agents worldwide. Bond must find his killer Patrice (Ola Rapace), retrieve the list, and take him out to settle the score.

This is basically the simple plot, but there is much more going on too. There is a sexy and intelligent female agent Eve (Naoimi Harris), who challenges Bond perhaps as much as Vesper Lynd once did. Besides the new Q there is also Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), a member of Parliament who may or may not be trustworthy. He is pressuring M to retire because he feels she bungled the retrieval of the list.

Bond heads to Shanghai to confront Patrice, and then on to Macau where he meets Severine (Berenice Marlohe), who joins the vast army of beautiful but deadly girls Bond takes to bed. The next morning they are off to villain Silva’s island hideaway (a Bond staple, of course). Silva is bleached blond and dentally challenged villain played by Javier Bardem with such glee and gusto that he may be the best Bond bad guy ever, or at least right up there with Gert Frobe’s Goldfinger.

Bond and Silva’s initial confrontation includes a chair, handcuffs, and Silva getting touchy-feely with 007. The scene involves rapid fire dialogue, with Silva revealing he was a former agent and has serious issues with M abandoning him in Hong Kong. He also tries to convince Bond that M has failed him as well, making it seem as if they are brothers with mommy problems. Silva tells Bond of an experiment he did with rats that involves the rats killing one another until just two remain. Silva says that they can either work together or fight until there will be one rat standing.

From this point forward there are too many spoilers that can be revealed, so let it suffice to say that Bond eventually gets back to London and has to find a way to protect M. The tension builds as he must spirit her away from the city to a remote location for the final confrontation, and here we encounter more of Bond’s past, including an old caretaker named Kincaid (Albert Finney) who for Bond is sort of like Alfred the butler to Batman’s Bruce Wayne.

In the final act there is a great battle sequence, as good as anything we have ever seen in a Bond movie. You get all the gunfire, the explosions, and the confrontation between good and evil you will want, but there is also an epiphany for Bond that has been 23 films in the making, and it is a brilliant moment. As he stands on a London rooftop with Union Jacks fluttering in the wind, there is an affirmation for all that Bond has done in the name of Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and a promise that he is far from finished.

Those of you who are like me and have seen all of the Bond films (some at least five times) will find many little pleasures in the movie, with some nods to previous films that are all intentional. When Bond opens an old garage and reveals the famous Aston Martin from Goldfinger, you have to get a chill as you make the connection. There is also the collective weight of the character’s experience, so we do think we know Bond, but we have never known him so intimately as we will by the end of this film.

Daniel Craig has really slipped into the character’s skin now, seeming as comfortable there as Sean Connery once was (before he became restless and unhappy with the role). While for me Connery felt just right in the role, the other Bonds never were. Roger Moore was way too glib; George Lazenby was too dull; Timothy Dalton was too stiff, and Pierce Brosnan was way too pretty. Craig is a more physically sculpted Bond, yet he wears a designer suit just as well as Connery. He also is a stronger actor than any of the others, delving into the motivation for Bond’s actions in ways none of them could. Mendes has allowed Craig to make that exploration here, and it pays off very well considering the heft of the storyline.

I really enjoyed every moment of this film and, for a movie coming in at two hours and twenty-three minutes, I can honestly say I never once looked at my watch. I must also note that the theme song “Skyfall,” as performed by Adele, is perhaps the most perfectly suited song in Bond movie history. It is also one terrific song, with Adele’s powerful vocal making it all the more memorable. I think it ranks right up there with Shirley Bassey’s “Goldfinger,” and that is indeed the highest praise I can give it.

In the end there is a hint that we should expect more from Mr. Bond, and hopefully with Daniel Craig in the role. He plays the character like he owns it now, and when he says the famous line, “Bond, James Bond,” the line is resonant because you really believe Craig is Bond. Skyfall is truly not just a great Bond movie but also a great film. As you watch it you may be thinking that it is not your father’s Bond movie, but you’ll realize that it is what a Bond movie needs to be now.

Photo Credits: guardian.co.uk

Sunday, November 18, 2012

R. A. Dickey Wins the NL Cy Young Award – The Best Story in Sports This Year

Article first published as R. A. Dickey Wins the NL Cy Young Award – The Best Story in Sports This Year on Blogcritics.

Yes, I am a New York Mets fan, but the fact that R.A. Dickey won the National League Cy Young Award is the best story in sports in 2012. In a year of muck and mire – think Melky Cabrera, Lance Armstrong, the NHL mess, and the New Orleans Saints Bounty Scandal – it is refreshing to have a great story about a good guy who got what he deserved.

Dickey’s story is not just a Mets story, but one for all sports fans, for it transcends team glory and becomes a lesson in perseverance and human dignity. For every kid who has thrown a ball against a wall, for every one who has swung a bat, shot a basket, slapped a puck, or tossed a football and dreamt of being in professional sports, this is a story for you.

Looking at Dickey’s career, one would have to be surprised that he got here. Coming into this year, he had never won more than 11 games in a season (2010) and had a career record of 41-50. This is not the stuff of which dreams are made, but since coming to the Mets Dickey has “found” himself, starting more games each year, pitching more innings, and developing that knuckleball with consistency that has helped him find success.

In the three seasons he has been with the Mets he has become the ace of the staff and has endeared himself to the fans.When Dickey won the award, he was as always humble and grateful. The thing that struck me was that he said it was for the fans. He recognized that in a difficult season with not much going for it, the fans needed something for which to cheer. That something was Dickey, as he became the first Met to win 20 games since 1990 and only the third player on the team to win the Cy Young (after Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden). Of course, Dickey said, “To have my name linked to Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden is quite humbling.” Would we expect anything less?

Dickey beat out Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals with 209 votes. Clearly, the 20 wins were not the only thing that put him on top. He had a 2.73 ERA and led the league in innings pitched, strikeouts, shutouts, and complete games. He also most definitely led the league in personality, a shiningly bright example of everything good about the game.
He is also a knuckleballer, and that seems rather unique these days, a throwback to old fashioned baseball as much as the high stockings he wears in on the field. He has the old-time aura about him, as if he could have been a contemporary of Cy Young or that he could have struck out Mel Ott or Ty Cobb just as easily as he could Ryan Howard or Matt Kemp.

Dickey’s story is so inspiring because he defied the odds. He had the pinball journey from team to team, from majors to minors, and then he finally came to the Mets in the minors, pitched very well, and got the team to notice. He came up in 2010 and his knuckleball excited the fans, inspired his teammates, and earned him 11 wins. Dickey was on his way after that, but the 20-6 Cy Young season still comes out of nowhere, and it is a shot in the arm to Mets fans who suffered through another dismal year, one in which Johan Santana threw the team’s first no-hitter and then fell apart, as did the season after that. The one shining light was Dickey, and fans appreciate that and he definitely knows it.

Off the field, Dickey is a simple family man from Nashville. What some people might not know is that last year Dickey climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to help Bombay Teen Challenge, a charity that assists girls in danger of abuse in Mumbai, India. He wrote of this journey in The New York Times, Dickey also wrote a book (along with writer Wayne Coffey) – Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball – and this great story is told by a man who has climbed the mountain both literally and figuratively. One can see the beauty of this story, the metaphor of mountain climbing not just to help others but as a summary of his whole pitching career. The struggle, the moving upward against all odds, the reaching the top, and the reward being not just the stunning view but the fact that he got there.

Dickey deserves this award and he says it is for the Mets fans. Yes, we are long suffering, but stories like Dickey’s not only make us happy but are also why we remain loyal fans. Our team can lose, and boy they know how to do that, but there is a human connection for us. Over the years it hasn’t just been about 1969, 1973, and 1986 (when the team was in the World Series), but about all those years in between when names like Kranepool, Throneberry, Seaver, Koosman, Grote, Swoboda, Gooden, Strawberry, Carter, Knight, Hernandez, Franco (John), Piazza, Reyes, Knight, Dickey (and too many others to name here) were not just players but guys we liked, ones who seemed like our family and friends.

Dickey climbed the mountain, got to the top, and we are all cheering him. In a tough year in sports, it is the feel good story of the year. We need more of that kind of thing for sure, but for now let Dickey bask in the glow of his accomplishment because he did it the old-fashioned way: He earned it.

Photo Credits: Dickey - NY Daily News; Kilimanjaro-telegraph.co.uk

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

A Real Pain in the Gas

Article first published as A Real Pain in the Gas on Blogcritics.

With gas lines considerably eased by rationing based on odd and even license plate numbers, the “shortage” of gasoline is basically over here in New York City and Long Island. Now, as we think about the insanity of those two weeks after Hurricane Sandy had battered our area and beat us into submission, it is fitting to take a look back at some stories that took place during that time. For me one that stood out was the tale of “Napoleon,” the guy who pumps gas in my local station.

Napoleon is not his real name. I think it is Amir, Jamal, or Hank, but I am not sure. This is because Napoleon wears jackets with different names sewn in a circle over his right breast. The reason I call him Napoleon is because he always has his right hand stuffed inside the jacket (holding his wad of money) the way the diminutive French emperor was depicted in paintings. This gas attendant also is short in stature, so the name seemed fitting enough to me.

Anyway, before the gas crisis, Napoleon always had a benevolent script that he followed. This basically involved a few lines of dialogue. “Good morning, my friend,” was his first line. The second was “Fill it up for you?” And the third line, after filling my tank and taking my money, was “Thank you for your tip.” Of course, the first time he said this, I was not prepared to tip him. The next time he washed my windshield without my asking him to do it, so I felt inclined to give him a little something.

My father taught me to always appreciate service, no matter how insignificant it might seem to someone else. I saw my Dad tip the guy in McDonald’s, the elevator operator, the doorman, and so on. He never missed the opportunity to recognize someone’s work and praise him or her for a job well done. With that in mind, I became a regular at this gas station and gave Napoleon a tip each time I gassed up.

So along came the gas shortage. This was a difficult experience for everyone. I had heard horror stories of gasoline attendants barking orders at customers, no doubt enjoying their unexpected and new found power. I tried to avoid sitting on line for four or more hours as everyone else was doing, and I passed my regular station with the line going on forever, but I noticed that Napoleon was allowing certain customers to come in the back way and get gas without waiting on line.

Since my tank was almost empty I was desperate, so I parked my car, walked up to him, and wished him a good morning. I immediately saw something askew in his face, as if he had become a different person. On this morning he was wearing his “Hank” jacket, and his right hand was stuck inside it as he pumped gas with his left one. I asked, “Is it possible for me to come in the back way and get a few gallons?”

Napoleon pulled out that right hand filled with cash and jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. “Get to the back of the line!” At that moment an older gentleman walked up to him with a plastic red gas can, and Napoleon screamed, “This line is not for you; go on the other side.” I stared at him and saw his crazed expression and realized he had become the embodiment of the name I had given him.

Without saying a word I turned, got back in my car, and drove away. A day later the odd-even rationing started, and I ended up getting gas in a different station. By the time I needed gas again today, the lines were gone and I pulled right up to the pump where Napoleon stood with his hand inside his Amir jacket.

Now he was once again on script, friendly as ever, saying his lines as he always had done. Gone was the little tyrant with fiery eyes. When I handed him my money, he said, “Thank you for your tip.” Napoleon looked down at his hand and saw that there was only the money for the gas. He glanced up at me as if he had lost his puppy and asked, “My friend, did you forget something?”

I started my car, shifted into drive, and said, “I left your tip at the back of the line.” I drove away, enjoying the smile on my face in the rearview mirror. I knew I would have to find a new gas station, but I didn’t care really. Ostensibly, I was condemning Napoleon to an Elba of my own imagination, and after all the worry about getting gas over those frenzied days, I felt completely justified in doing so. So I bid adieu to Hank, Jamal, Amir or whatever was his name, but in reality he turned out to be a real pain in the gas.

Now I figure the money I save on his tips can go towards a lottery ticket each week. As they say here in New York, “Hey, you never know.”

Photo Credit: the100.ru

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Christmas Songs on the Radio on Veteran’s Day – Stop the Insanity!

Article first published as Christmas Songs on the Radio on Veteran’s Day – Stop the Insanity! on Blogcritics.

I heard my first Christmas song of the season yesterday morning on the radio. Every year I always mark that occasion as a reminder that I have lots of things to get done, but then I realized that this was Veteran’s Day. Christmas music on Veteran’s Day? There is something wrong with this picture to be sure.
In recent years radio stations here in New York have been going with an “all Christmas music” format, usually starting around Thanksgiving. The theory goes that once the turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie have been ingested, that people are ready for Black Friday (dubbed by retailers as the day after Thanksgiving) to start their Christmas shopping. Ostensibly, people want to get into their cars and hear the songs on the radio or as they walk around the mall. I have come to accept that over time, but now this is getting ridiculous.

It is bad enough that Christmas decorations have been in the stores since late September. It is a little unsettling to see Halloween decorations set up right next to Christmas ones. I don’t know about you, but Santa and Frosty the Snowman just don’t go with witches, skeletons, and jack-o-lanterns. Yes, it perturbs me to see this, but it also is difficult when you have a little kid with you. What messages are being sent into a three year old’s brain when he sees these things?

This meshing of holidays, not to mention the almost complete disregard for Thanksgiving as its own holiday, has been bothersome for a long time to me. Trying to get any Thanksgiving decorations is always a problem. Stuck between the retailers’ dream holidays of Halloween and Christmas, the most you can sometimes find is a pilgrim boy or girl if you’re lucky.

I guess we cannot blame retailers who see this as their biggest time of the year, but it is vexing. So when I am sitting on a line waiting for gas and going around the radio channels, I don’t like hearing that Christmas music so early. As I heard the lyrics, “It’s that time of year/when the world falls in love….” I felt like screaming, “No, it’s not that time of year yet!”

So I am officially bypassing 103.1 FM until after Thanksgiving. I am sure some other stations may start ramming Christmas songs down our throats soon. Maybe I am sounding a bit like Scrooge here, but I want the season to actually be in season. For me that means at least wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas and play the music. Even then, by the time we actually get to Christmas Eve, I have heard “Holly, Jolly Christmas” enough times to make my head explode. How’s that for getting into the Christmas spirit? It gets me thinking that Scrooge may have had a point after all. Bah, humbug indeed!

Photo Credit: dreamstime.com

Monday, November 12, 2012

LIPA Management Must Go - Still No Power for Many on Long Island

Article first published as LIPA Management Must Go – Still No Power For Many on Long Island on Blogcritics.

There is no other way to say this: the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) is a disgrace. This has nothing to do with those hardworking people up on utility poles; these guys are breaking their backs all over the island. It has to do with management and the mishandling of the greatest disaster to ever hit this area. There is no question that LIPA has bungled this recovery process, and Governor Andrew Cuomo better act quickly and decisively because people are still suffering.

Now going into the fifteenth day since Hurricane Sandy, there are about 90,000 homes still without power on Long Island. These people have been without electricity, which means they are also without heat and hot water. As the cold weather has come into the region, the fear of bursting pipes is all too real. There is also the question of this being a human rights issue. The quality of life for these people has hit rock bottom, and no one seems to be doing anything to speed the process.

To confound the situation even further, a number of the affected homes must undergo “inspection” before LIPA can even begin repairs. This is due to safety considerations or salt water damage, but the fact is that this red tape scenario only lengthens the process. Since there are not enough inspectors to go around, people are sitting in the dark under mountains of blankets, waiting for the system that has obviously failed them to get things right.

Many politicians and pundits are outraged by LIPA’s inability to get the job done. While Governor Cuomo has been harsh in his criticism of the authority, nothing seems to jumpstart their efforts. There has been talk by some of bringing in the Army or National Guard to take over operation of LIPA, but nothing is happening and people need action right now.

My thought is that LIPA’s management must be immediately removed and replaced by people who know how to get the job done. This could mean staff from another agency (like New Jersey’s PSEG that seems to be getting a much better job done) or from another country. There also has to be a long term plan to work on updating an antiquated power grid that is extremely vulnerable on Long Island.

In all the time since Hurricane Irene (August 2011) LIPA has done nothing in the way of proactively preparing for the next big storm; therefore, we must assume it will learn nothing from this event and go about business as usual. We cannot and must not allow that to happen.

People in the New York area, particularly Long Islanders, have been suffering these past two weeks.
There were two major storms, power outages, school closings, food shortages, and long gas lines. You must forgive some people if they are wondering what is coming next? A plague of locusts or pestilence (we’ve already had the plague of darkness)?

Still, despite all this suffering, there are people with a sense of humor. Civility is not in short supply, and many people have gone out of their way to help neighbors and friends. There have been large collections of food, water, and clothing for people in the flood ravaged areas of Breezy Point, Staten Island, Coney Island, and the Rockaways. The magnanimous nature of people is not being damaged despite the devastating physical impact of the storm on our area.



As this video (with apologies to Taylor Swift) clearly shows, we have to find a bright light in the darkness, and that is inherently within the people who live here. They are close to broken, many hungry, cold, and angry, but they are hanging on. But how long can they? It is time for the government to step in, to stop the travesty of so many still waiting for the light, and end people’s misery. Take over LIPA now, Mr. Cuomo, before it is too late.

Photo Credit: libn.com

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Confessions of a Gasoholic

Article first published as Confessions of a Gasoholic on Blogcritics.

For those of you who have no trouble getting gasoline where you live, I am happy for you. Here in New York we are all running on empty, unless we are willing to waiting in ridiculously long lines to get gas. The crisis started with Hurricane Sandy and was exacerbated by the freak snowstorm that dumped insult and injury on us while we were down. Tankers couldn’t get into port, so gasoline trucks couldn’t get gas; stations had no power to pump gas even if there was gas, and so on. It was enough to make any rational person go bonkers.

Okay, I must confess – I am a gasoholic. I am in detox right now, shivering me timbers in the limbo world of having a needle on empty. I crave gas like other people may crave spirits or chocolate or shopping. “Drive ‘til I drop” used to be my motto. Now I am walking everywhere, and it is really an eye opener for an addict like I am.

Before all this happened, I never thought anything about knocking back ten gallons. Hey, I was thirsty and gas was freely available. I’d belly up to the pump, have my fill, and then go on my merry way. I liked going wherever I wanted to go, no matter how far away it was. Daytrip to Montauk to sit on the beach? No problem. Drive upstate to see fall foliage? Hey, I’m on my way.

Yes, this is a particularly hazardous gas consumption lifestyle, I know. I didn’t care though. Want a hotdog? Why not drive down to Coney Island to get the real deal? Who cares about gas? Even as the price went up, I suppose I thought of it as a top-shelf mentality. A drinker can either have the cheap stuff or the top brand, right? I felt the same way. Gas at $3.99 a gallon was just a luxury tax of sorts. I wanted the luxury of driving wherever I wanted to go whenever I wanted to get there.

Now, courtesy of this gasoline crisis here in New York, I am a walker, and I see lots of other walkers. I am part of the club that says “I will not sit in a line for gas for four hours.” I refuse to waste my time doing that, so I walk. All the things I may have done by car are now done on foot – grocery store, post office, bank, Starbucks, and more. I am becoming a walking machine and, quite truthfully, I like it. It feels good and, as the air gets colder now, it is invigorating.

I guess I am also getting back to my New York City roots. I used to take a subway or bus wherever I had to go, and then walk the rest of the way. There is great freedom in going somewhere, getting off the train or bus, and not having to worry about where to park. Parking is expensive in New York anyway, almost worse than the price of that elixir of life for my car that is so hard to come by now.

So I have confessed and repented, and now I am not turning back. Oh, wait, I just got a text from my sister – ten minute wait at a gas station on her corner. Have to run. Forget what I said; I am back in the saddle again. Petroleum martini please, stirred not shaken, and heavy on the octane. I am ready to roll.

Photo credit: tumblr.com

Monday, November 5, 2012

Hurricane Sandy: Car Wars - A New Hope?

Article first published as Hurricane Sandy: Car Wars - A New Hope? on Blogcritics.

If you are reading this from the friendly confines of a dry, heated home, thousands of miles away from New York, with a car fully gassed up in the driveway, and a grocery store full of food not too far away, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about. Well, the answer is that it is getting ugly; people are starting to break. Besides not having electricity, which basically controls everything in a modern home, people are faced with the inability to get gasoline, which means they are trapped in those very areas that are powerless and unable to seek out that restaurant or store in a powered area.

Last night the gasoline station on my corner had gas. There was a line of cars running along the two streets that connect at that corner, with literally hundreds of people taking a chance on getting some of the precious liquid. There was also a separate queue of people carrying red gas cans, desperate for gas to take home to fuel their generators. The police were there to keep order, but you could see the frenzy in people’s faces and knew this was bordering on spinning out of control.

Right now, with an impending work week starting on Monday, November 5, 2012, the gasoline shortage threatens all of us who need to get to our jobs. We still have only one station opened in our area, and it is also interesting that the station cannot open without the line already established at the curb. How is this happening? The answer is that it could be an inside job, with attendants calling out to inform people of impending deliveries. It also is possible that someone sees a delivery truck, pulls up to the curb, and starts the phone chain. Before you can say, “Obi-Wan Kenobi, you are my only hope,” the line is a few miles long.

It is getting cold here in New York, so not only do people without power have to deal with the inconvenience of no appliances, TV, and hot water, but now that is compounded by having no heat. There is the possibility also of pipes bursting, and this only enhances the anxiety everyone is experiencing.

The new hope that people are getting comes from Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has been relentless with his drive to get help for New Yorkers. In his last press conference, the governor explained how the Coast Guard had shut down the ports due to the flooding, and that this caused gasoline to be delayed from reaching our stations. It doesn’t make a difference to anyone why it has happened, because we still need gas, but Cuomo indicated that now the ports were opening, gasoline would be delivered to stations, and the situation should begin easing next week.

For now the site of long lines at the gas pumps only adds to our frustration and anger with our utilities, the government, and the oil industry. It seems no one in these entities can think ahead, to deal with a situation proactively. On Long Island for example, it is well known that trees are the major cause of problems with power lines. LIPA never seems to do anything before a storm to trim or even remove trees that could cause problems later on. It is always after the fact, and now there are people close to being without power for a week being told that they might not get power until next weekend.

Things are getting better in some areas of New York, and Manhattan has its power back again. But the reality is that things are still a good deal worse for us, and the end for many is still not in sight. There are many (who like myself are unable or unwilling to sit on lines for six hours to get gas) who are going to be down to running the car on gas fumes pretty soon, and then there is the possibility of not being able to get to work. All of this is a domino effect that is hurting our city every day that this crisis goes on.

So we wait and hope that the governor is right, but as of now getting gasoline here in New York is an arduous and unpleasant task. People are angry, sometimes coming to blows, and though many try for civility, tempers flare more easily than ever before. Drivers are weary and, when another driver attempts to cut a line, you can imagine that a battle will understandably erupt. We have been through so much already, and the prevailing question is when are things going to get better?

We all need an answer soon because of not only the cold weather but also dwindling spirits. On this day when we set the clocks back one hour, it is clear we are running out of time.

Photo Credit: money.cnn.com