Player to Watch

With only one game yet to be completed on the first day of the MLS season, I admonish you this: Keep your eye on Sainey Nyassi. This kid (b. January 1989) has an amazing set of speed, skill, knowledge, and good old grit. I don't know much about him. He didn't play much last year, garnered late in the season by the New England Revolution. Today was the Gambian international's first start....and the kid had a lot to say. Every time he touched the ball, he created something. And, what's more, he made nearly as many defensive plays as he did offensive ones. Reading the play defensively in the 90th minute, Nyassi capped off his season debut by intercepting a pass at midfield and taking it all the way to the six yard line where he sold an impressive inside out stepover and nailed his shot near post.

I'm impressed. You will be, too.

New England Revolution, #31.

Beware.

I'm enchanted.....for the most part

I thought I'd take the opportunity to provide some circumlocution in honor or the recent release of "Enchanted." The film obviously did rather well so I'm not writing to sell you on it. The Disney marketing team working on the film and general word of mouth has done plenty well. Instead, I think I'll comment on the things in the film or related to the film that I felt were odd. Lest we not be confused, I love the film and was amongst the group of pathetic people who picked the DVD up on the day of its release because we knew (and planned) for that day. I don't think anyone could quite say enough to homage the technique of the film and the fact that it is, in itself, a peon to Disney animated films.

Nonetheless, it is a tease. A T-E-A-S-E. The characters in the film are fantastic. I simply cannot argue with a film that stars James Marsden simply because I get to stare at James Marsden for two hours that don't require excuse! But Idina Menzel!!! Seriously??? I cannot begin to tell you how excited I was when I saw her appear on screen in a movie that featured a good amount of singing. Throughout the entire film I waited and waited and waited and waited for Idina to belt it out (as we all know she can---RENT, Wicked). I even waited through the end of the credits. I waited through the months to the DVD release thinking maybe, just maybe, she'd had a song that had to get cut in the movie but it will be in the DVD extras. I waited and waited. Then I waited some more. And NOTHING!! What??? How can you do that? If you put Idina Menzel in a movie that has singing, then she must sing. It's just the rules. I don't make them up. And, apparently, you don't follow them.

Here are more rules of Hollywood. When you are Oscar-nominated, you are well known. Again, "Enchanted" and its cast have not followed those rules. Amy Adams is a great actress. "Enchanted" attests to that but not as much as the film for which she received an Oscar nomination, "Junebug." In the drama, Adams plays an innocent and somewhat annoying pregnant woman who battles with her husband in more ways than one. The portrayal was brilliant and rightfully deserved an Oscar nod, if not the actual award. She appeared in another movie that was Oscar-stacked. "Catch Me if You Can"--remember that? Remember when Leo's character nearly marries the sweet, Southern belle? Guess who that belle was. (Why does no one outside of the entertainment business remember this?) Yet, Amy Adams somehow remained under the radar......until.....until...."Enchanted," which is now considered her big break. Now she's on magazine covers, carrying other movies with her name. It cracks me up.



Other things about "Enchanted"

1. I hate Susan Sarandon's need to employ her tongue in the role of the evil step-mother.
2. Pip doesn't need to poop when he gets frightened.
3. James Marsden, sigh.
4. Pip's game of charades coupled with James Marsden's reactions are the best thing about the entire movie.
5. Thank God for the use of traditional animation.

Like Buttah

You'd think that the most recent BUTR (Bands Under the Radar, or what I call "Butter") would have been a failure what with the set of Amy Winehouse inspired artists and the fact that I was already familiar with several of the artists and their songs. And I do have to confess that it may have been due to the length of this podcast and therefore its ability to make up for such negatives as afore mentioned, but it ROCKED! Usually I'm left with a list of 3 artists to check out from the hour+ podcast list but this time I was not so lucky. In fact, I even stopped writing them down at one point, having decided that I had too many already and simply could not afford everything I want.....and if you take a look at the playlist, you'll notice that occurred about half-way through.

I'm doubling the recommendation for the following artists:
Big Bang
Your Vegas
Vampire Weekend
Powderfinger
Oh Laura (which has an extra two stars in my notes)
Yael Naim


And if you're not hooked into this podcast, you need to change that.....well, only if you consider yourself a fan of music.

The Great Return????

Most people might argue that "return" is the improper term when describing the possible status of the Women's National Team. Afterall, they did finish 3rd in last year's World Cup. However, under the reign of Head Coach Greg Ryan, the traditional possession style of the team seemed to shatter in favor of the 'get it to Abby/Lily and let them score' mentality--one which I must admit I was never a fan of....perhaps that is partly because my favorite all-time player is Julie Foudy....perhaps it's because, as a former player myself, I was a midfielder often in charge of transitioning from the defensive to the attack with creative playmaking. It doesn't much matter because it appears that with the (well-deserved) ousting of Coach Ryan, so went the style. Might it be possible that the possessive game has returned to elite women's soccer? And just in time for the new women's league???

I'll have to wait and witness it to be 100% positive but I'm definitely leaning. Thank you, Pia. I have to admit I was not completely on board when US Soccer announced the former Swedish player, Pia Sundhage, would be replacing Ryan. Glad for the replacing; not the replacement. She is the first international to coach the team and I prefer to keep things purebred, if possible. But I may be wrong here.

In the Algarve Cup, admittedly not as high-profile as the World Cup, the US has defeated China, 4-0. The article at ussoccer.com describes the US play as possessive. What huh? My critical eye is somewhat assuaged and I remain rather convinced of the possibility of possession soccer having occurred by the score sheet. For the past couple years, the team has relied heavily on their star frontrunners---and possibly just frontrunner, in Abby Wambach. But the score sheet reads as follows:

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 1 3 4
CHN 0 0 0

USA – Lindsay Tarpley (Carli Lloyd) 5th minute
USA – Tobin Heath (unassisted) 47.
USA – Abby Wambach (Shannon Boxx) 64.
USA – Carli Lloyd (Natasha Kai) 69.


Translation: Four goals; four different players; 3 different assisters and one unassisted. That's incredible! In order for that to occur there had to be decent ball movement.

The final judgment remains for the first few live matches I see but I'm liking the things I hear and the evidence I read. This is good stuff for the Olympics, ladies!!!


Picture by Paulo Cordeiro / isiphotos.com

Caught in the Series

Apparently, I ought to change residences. Well, obviously I ought to change residences. But I've found the residence I would prefer to be living in may not be the one that fits my current lifestyle best. Instead, I've just finished reading about my future.....

You see, I am job-hunting. And though that sounds (and sometimes feels) like I'm equipped with a rifle, strange attire, and boots that weigh more than I do, I am only looking for a job. And, I hope, one is looking for me too. (And when I meet the right one, we'll fall in love and work happily ever after.) In my job-hunting, I sometimes submit resumes, and, on rarer occasions, I go on interviews.....this whole thing has been an unpleasant and unfruitful experience but it has the potential to get worse. And that's what I love about Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Things always get worse but they always remain comically pathetic.

"Besides getting several paper cuts in the same day or receiving the news that someone in your family has betrayed you to your enemies, one of the most unpleasant experiences in life is a job interview."

Agreed.

"It is very nerve-wracking to explain to someone all the things you can do in the hopes that they will pay you to do them."

Impossible.

"I once has a very difficult job interview in which I had not only to explain that I could hit an olive with a bow and arrow, memorize up to three pages of poetry, and determine if there was poison mixed into cheese fondue without tasting it, but I had to demonstrate all these things as well."

I've been on that interview. I didn't get the job.

"In most cases, the best strategy for a job interview is to be fairly honest, because the worst thing that can happen is that you won't get the job and will spend the rest of your life foraging for food in the wilderness and seeking shelter underneath a tree or the awning of a bowling alley that has gone out of business...."

Look for future headlines: Big Foot Found Bowling; Has Human DNA Matching Local Blogger.

Finding the "MirrorMask"

There's a movie that's been hiding within the minds of a circus and hurt, flying books that is so artistically grand and metaphorically rich that it ought to have been witnessed by most who would claim themselves fans of film. "MirrorMask" features a world where the balance has been upset. The White Queen, who resides in sunlight, sleeps, and the land is being threatened by the black shadows that bring immediate death to beings of light. This is a land where the characters are masked and find the facial features of Helena, their 15-year-old savior from reality, disgusting.

The film is a fantasy featuring an intense hybrid of animation and live action. The combination fits the film and its mold of dark and light, fantasy and reality, individuality and dependency, life and art. These characters and this film juggles it all in seamless fashion.

It begins in a reality, of sorts, with bright colors we soon learn to be a circus. Helena is part of the circus and the teenage daughter of the circus' masterminds and business-minds. She definitely does not enjoy her position in life and wants out, proclaiming that she wishes her desires would be the death of her mother, Joanne, and thereby the death of the circus. When Joanne becomes deathly ill, Helena fears what she has done. The former brightness of the circus world become gray and drab and evoke a feeling of sorrow and danger.

I don't want to give anything away but only ignite enough curiosity for you to give the movie a chance. It's odd, as most great art films are, but it is not difficult to comprehend and offers a number of comedic elements. Enjoy this movie with a glass of wine and an open mind.



Favorite movie lines:
"Run! Faster! Don't let anything distract you. --- FOOD!" ~Valentine
"All those kids want to run away and join the circus."/ "Great. They can have my life. I want to run away and join real life." ~Joanne/Helena
"We could eat our weight in chocolate buttons." ~Valentine