Maybe I expected too much but the Dark Knight didn’t quite cut it for me. I loved the last Batman, don’t get me wrong – great story, plot, etc.

Before I get into what didn’t work, here’s what I did like.

Christian Bale is by far the best batman cast out of all the Batman movies. I’m a huge fan. If he’s in a movie, I’ll probably go see it because of him. Michael Caine was brilliant as Alfred. Played perfect. Morgan Freeman beautifully portrays the integral Lucius Fox character to a tee.

Here are my top five miscues:

1. The casting of Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes.
   This was a train wreck decision. I questioned the casting of Katie Holmes in the last Batman however, Katie would’ve been a better choice. Ms. Gyllenhaal is indeed a talented actress but I just felt like I was watching the understudy on screen instead of the real actress. She didn’t really pull off the soft sophisticated persona that should have been. I didn’t buy Maggie as the subject of desire the two most eligible bachelors are lusting after. It didn’t work. Sure it was a surprise to kill off the love interest but too be honest, I didn’t really care. I didn’t get enough of the character to care.
2. Health Ledger’s as the Joker
   It was a bit creepy watching the movie knowing that Ledger is not longer with us. He had a solid performance without a doubt. Although, I just couldn’t help thinking that he was doing a bad Johnny Depp impression. At times I almost forgot I was watching Health Ledger on screen. He came across as kind of wimpy. So he’s a psychotic clown.. I get it. But that goofy voice didn’t seem to fit. The lip licking started to annoy me as well.
3. Anthony Michael Hall as Mike Engel
   Again, I love Anthony Michael Hall. Heck I love anyone that uses three names. Most of the time when you hear about someone with three names it’s on the news when we’re learning of a new mad man on the loose. This character could have been left on the cutting room floor. It really didn’t fit at all.
4. Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon
   The Gordon character was underplayed. Gordon is a pivotal character in the comic books but here appears as an afterthought. Such a great talent wasted. Oldman was great as always. I just wanted more.
5. Not enough chasing or cool gadgets
   So the Batmobile is cool. It’s so dark in the movie and there is such limited time with the batmobile. The motorcycle was big and clunky. It looks great once it hits full speed but it must be tough to manuever. It left me wanting more gadgets, more chase scenes and less dialog. I guess I’ll have to wait for the next Bond flick.

Photo by Dusty California

Photo by Margarita Gonzalez

This is the third time that I saw Radiohead play live. First in 1995 when they opened for REM in support of “The Bends.” REM lead singer Micheal Stipe boldy praised the band saying “They’re so good, they scare me.” He commented on Radiohead for a total of three times during their performance that night. But let’s get one thing clear – I was there to see Radiohead. It is still one of the most memorable shows I’ve seen.

I also saw Radiohead in 2003. The funny thing is that I don’t remember much of the show. I remember Thom Yorke putting in a good performance but that’s about it. It was a good friend of mine that reminded me that I even attended the show in the first place!

Fast forward to last week. Radiohead was opening their North American tour in West Palm Beach, Florida. West Palm Beach Florida? What an interesting choice since most bands skip South Florida altogether because of the location. Once a band plays Tampa, it’s straight down to Miami for a quick set up and tear down and another 7 hours before the equipment gets out of the state. Yorke commented during the show that the band spent the previous three days in Miami preparing for the show. Perhaps it was the sunshine that attracted the band.

Yorke addressed the audience like a nervous school child making an appearance at his first recital. He sauntered up to the microphone and said “Hello” with the usual normal tick. The band chose ‘All I need’ to start things off – immediately followed by ‘Bodysnatchers and ‘There there.’ I was really looking forward to hearing ‘Weird Fishes’ which was eventually played the 10th song in. This is when the concert started for me. Something rather strange happened though. Close to the ending, the band stopped playing. They had botched the ending and Yorke quickly huddled up with his band mates around their drummer, Phil Selway. After some chatter they quickly returned to where they left off. Selway counted them off and they played the ending correct.

I really don’t think too many people really noticed the screw up. However, Thom – in his pursuit of perfection – played it again the way it was written. [see videos here] Afterward he exclaimed to the audience that they really should have practiced that one or something to that tune.

All and all I would say it was a great show. The big missing for me was the more musically inspired numbers. I would have liked to have heard more of the classic Radiohead before they discovered synths. Not that the later stuff isn’t great, it’s just that I wanted to hear the guitars roar. A little less prefab action and a bit more guitar driven music.

[Click the comic strip to see larger version]

One again I had the privilege to fly Southwest Airlines last week when I took a business trip to New Orleans. I thought it would be much better flying Southwest this time since they introduced their new line policy. You no longer need to line up immediately upon arriving to your gate. Once you check in, your place is saved in line. I arrived two hours early and ended up with B44. Not bad, I thought. As illustrated in the cartoon above, I ended up with the center seat.

I think it’s time for Southwest to abandon the whole “Grab any seat you want” policy. It may have worked well in the seventies when the planes flew with less people, However it’s not working so well these days.

Here’s an example. Say I purchase a ticket to go see my relatives up in the northeast six months in advance. The day I’m to return, I spend a little more time with my family. I arrive at the airport just under an hour before my flight leaves. I potentially end up with a “C” line ticket. The only advantage to buying my ticket ahead of time is the monetary savings. It doesn’t guarantee my place in line. I would rather know I had a center seat at the time of booking. I’ll take that incentive any day of the week.

C’mon Southwest, you’re the airlines with heart. How about cutting us all a break. Even Subway abandoned that silly sandwich cut. (Remember the cut where it appeared there was more on the sandwich because all the meat and toppings hung out the side) Sure it’s great to be different but let’s face it, people hate it. It makes us feel like we’re all cattle lining up. This is a new century. Start listening to your patrons. SWITCH TO ASSIGNED SEATING!

Also see:
Southwest Airlines reservations - or why I don’t like to fly Southwest
Virgin America is the new jetBlue
Dog + Pig

Email is a necessity when it comes to communication. Here are a few of my tips from the cluebag:

If you reply to an email, don’t start a new topic without changing the subject.
Suppose you get an email titled “Meeting to determine the next meeting.” Everyone can chime in and give their two cents. Sure, maybe Bob can make it but Sally can’t. Perhaps several action items are added to the list – great! DON’T HIT REPLY AND ASK WHO IS VOLUNTEERING FOR THE UPCOMING BLOOD DRIVE WITHOUT CHANGING THE SUBJECT LINE. What’s worse is the fifteen new people who reply to this email. Every five replies a new subject is added WITH THE SAME SUBJECT LINE!

How do you expect me to find your email about the “Impending new project deadline” when you fail to CHANGE THE SUBJECT! I guess I’ll just spend 10 to 15 minutes hunting down your email. Better yet, I’ll call you on the phone and ask if you sent the email to me so I can be the fool. Oh, you say, you sent it on Tuesday at 4:39. Ah. Now I able to find it. Not because of the subject line – Meeting to determine the next meeting – but because I had to phone you and ASK YOU.

Don’t send an urgent, time sensitive email without any additional communication
Let’s suppose for a moment that I receive an email titled “Bake sale moved up one hour.” I’m knee deep in work and only periodically checking my email. The bake sale is in full swing when I receive a call asking “Where are you, the bake sale started 20 minutes ago?” I’ll tell you where I am – I’m planning on wrapping up what I’m working on because the bake sale STARTS IN 40 MINUTES! How about a friendly 8 second call letting me know about the time change. Better yet, how about taking 11 steps, passing by my office and “THE BAKE SALE TIME HAS CHANGED!”

Don’t send ridiculous jokes or chain letters
I really don’t care if a terrible plague swallows up the earth if I don’t immediately forward your email to 20 of my friends. It’s a shame too. I’m sure my friends would really enjoy reading your silly email. Also, I’m not going to send money to some joker in South Africa because of his pathetic sob story about his millions of dollars temporarily tied up. I don’t care. I use email for communication with friends and colleagues.

Roughly 10 years ago I finally had to write a “STOP SENDING ME JOKES” email to a longtime friend. I don’t think he took it too well. Even after sending that scathing email, he would occasionally send me a “THIS IS REALLY, REALLY, FUNNY” email. Unfortunately he was not always right. And that’s putting it mildly. I was forced to create a filter so I wouldn’t get sucked into reading more nonsense.

On the other hand, I do sometimes look forward to certain joke emails which actually ARE funny. I guess there is a trusted source for everything.

Come on people, time to get the clue bag. Reach deep and grab a clue! A little etiquette goes a long way. Where’s the love? How about a little consideration for your fellow neighbor.

Last year, Simon said Kenneth Briggs looked like a bush baby. Kind of rough but isn’t that why we watch in the first place. Thank God Simon is really on this year. It’s nearly the only reason to watch the show. His brutal honesty and Paula’s incomprehensible speech make it worth it.

After watching yet another round of American Idol additions, there seems to be a common theme with all the rejects. Here are some ways to spot a reject before they even open their mouths.

1. Elaborate costume
2. Over the top antics
3. Super bright clothing
4. Multiple simultaneous auditions
5. Over confident

And here are the tell tale signs regarding artists:

1. Celine Dion
2. Whitney Houston
3. Aretha Franklin
4. Janis Joplin

Sure, why not attempt songs originally sung by some of the greatest voices of our time. I’m sure you’ll sound just like them. Keep on trying!

I recently purchased a LASKO fan for a family camping trip. On the flap of the box are these selling points:

Why Buy a Fan?

• Create a Wind Chill
• Circulate Air Conditioning
• Bring Fresh Air In
• Dispel Stale Air & Odors
• Use for Only Pennies a Day
• Get Comfortable!

WHAT? If you’re buying a fan and you’re thinking to yourself Hmmm, I’m not convinced yet and you ask yourself why you should buy a fan – chances are you probably don’t need a fan.

I think it’s great that Starbucks is committed to the environment. Shouldn’t every organization be concerned about it? Of course they should. Okay, sounds great so far. What about this:

Starbucks is committed to reducing our environmental impact through increased use of post-consumer recycled materials. Help us help the planet.

WHAT? Talk about buzzword central. Here’s what they’re really saying “We love the planet. That’s why this sleeve is made of recycled material. We wanted you to know. We want you to know that we’re thinking about the environment, okay?”

Wouldn’t it be easier if they just said “Recycled sleeve” or “We’re smart enough to recycle, you should too.”

Here’s where it gets confusing for me:

First-ever 10% post-consumer fiber cup
60% post-consumer fiber sleeve

HUH? What is that supposed to mean? It’s the first ever post-consumer cup and it’s only 10%? Shouldn’t it at least be 50%. I’m not sure what post-consumer fiber is but I’m not that impressed that it’s only 10%.

This is an interesting line:

Intended for single use only.

Hmmm. I hope they don’t mean use it once then toss it? That wouldn’t be very cool.

Also see:
Jackhole goes to Starbucks
Do Starbucks corporate employees get free coffee?
Akeelah and the Bee and the Starbucks employee

A very funny rant on non-profits and global warming. Zefrank is funny and quite original. Why don’t they give this guy complete complete control over Saturday Night Live and fire the other writers. Better yet, cancel Saturday Night Live and start “Zefrank Show.”

C’mon Lorne Michaels, it’s time to give someone else a shot!

via zefrank.com

It’s that time of year again. Time to switch our clocks forward one hour. Except this year we’re making the switch one month earlier. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended Daylight Saving Time in an effort to curtail U.S. fuel consumption. Great. How exactly does that work?

To tell you the truth I’m not concerned about why we’re changing it. I’m more concerned with why we keep changing it back and forth. Wouldn’t it be easier to just set it and forget it.

Is there really a reason or are we all just begging for a darker, colder winter? What about the guy who is gassing up his car in the middle of January after work. I betcha he would love to have that extra hour back. It would be a bit warmer because the sun would be out. As soon as the sun goes down, that’s when it starts to feel really cold. Of course now I live in Florida so it doesn’t bother me anymore. I do remember all to well though.

Oh but wait… I just thought of something exciting! We can look forward to that extra hour of sleep when we set it back again the first week of November! Ahhhh that IS something great to look forward to. Even if it wears off in a couple of days. Yes indeed… I guess it’s all about that extra hour of sleep.

Remind me again why we’re changing our clocks?

The (RED) campaign, which celebrities like Bono, Christy Turlington, Oprah Winfrey, Chris Rock, Steven Spielberg endorsed, has apparantly failed miserably. The campaign’s intent was to raise millions for Aids in Africa. Even myspace.com got in on the act as a media sponsor.

The campaign has only brought in 18 million to date. Seems like a pretty good figure, right? Well compared to the advertising budget of up to 100 million – it turns out it’s not such a good take.

According to Advertising Age:

The disproportionate ratio between the marketing outlay and the money raised is drawing concern among nonprofit watchdogs, cause-marketing experts and even executives in the ad business. It threatens to spur a backlash, not just against the Red campaign — which ambitiously set out to change the cause-marketing model by allowing partners to profit from charity — but also for the brands involved.

Maybe bono has an extra $18 million lying around to match the dismal figure. Buy less crap has put up an outstanding site which mocks our boy Bono and the whole red campaign with a simple message – Buy (Less). Give more.

Right on.

Although there are a lot of fans of Southwest Airlines out there, I cannot be counted as one of them. After flying them this past weekend from South Florida to New Orleans, there is plenty for me to gripe about.

First of all, I’m not a fan of Southwest’s open seating policy. Sure it sounds like a great idea getting to choose where you would like to sit. However, it is only a great idea if the plane is 50% filled. If the plane is over sold, like most of the flights on Southwest, it doesn’t really work out for the consumer. Instead of a seat assignment, you receive a letter on your boarding pass - either A, B, or C. Of course the letters are first come first serve. “A”s, then “B”s, then “C”s. And here’s what that translates to:

A - Aisle - What the first people in the plane usually select

B - Window - Not the Aisle but close enough

C - Center - What the last resort is if you wish to fly

(more…)

In a word… nothing.

The music played throughout ABCs coverage of the 2006 NBA finals is old man classic rocker Tom Petty. The Mavericks are introduced to The Who’s “Eminence Front”. What? Eminence front? Yes siree.

It’s hard to imagine in 2006 that we would be watching a finals game with old dinosaur rockers at the helm. Last time I checked it was 2006. Basketball is all about attitude. It’s about a lifestyle. It’s about tatoos.
Heard any:

Black Eyed Peas…
50cent…
Mike Jones…
Kanye West…

Nope!

Instead it’s good ‘ol boy TOM PETTY and one foot in the grave rockers THE WHO.

Hey ABC, time to make some producer changes at your outdated network. Pay attention to what’s going on in the world cause here comes the newsflash… TOM PETTY and THE WHO signed off in 1982.