Re: The thread where Spring has sprung, and Penske has risen from the law. Word!
 

cleveland 40 45 +122
miami 40 45 +122
new york 2 5 +1900
chicago 2 5 +1900
new jersey 2 5 +1900

Re: Race
 

Missouri Synod folks here are usually German, which almost qualified as "ethnic" in my home town where anything but 100% Swedish was out of the norm.

Re: Race
 

Well. the amazing thing about NY is that 9mil people we're all forced to interact and interface, but at the end of the day people break out and burrow back into their communities, immersed and surrounded by their people.....but that exposure allows you, what. knowledge. I can discern trinidadian, jamacian, puerto rican, dominican; paksitani indian bangladeshi korean chinese/what type of chinese/ filipina, japanese/ etc. etc. so the exposure even if not perfect helps.

Re: Race
 

The latest version is not as amusing as the first one but the guy is still sexy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLTIowBF0kE

I sent my review of Race to my (white) ex-wife. She saw it too. This is what she had to say:

"Acting: David Alan Grier and James Spader were good--sounds like better than the ones you saw. Kerry WAshington was terrible and it's the same guy playing the accused adn I think he might be the worst actor I've ever seen in a play.

Dialogue: I hate his dialogue. I know it is his specialty or whatever but I don't think anyone talks the way he writes and so his solution is to have the characters say these awkwardly constructed sentences really quickly (so it can be considered quick and witty) but to me it always sounds like people saying lines so I can never get interested in the characters or plot. And it's so damn fast that I don't hear half of it anyway, and I don't find that interesting, I find it lazy.

Message: what message? If I remember, I felt like he offered some commentary about the media and our country's need for people to display shame and to apologize so that we can quickly forgive them, a la Tiger Woods, but I thought he offered absolutely nothing new about the topic of race. To me it was a play written by a 60 year old white man for other 60 year old white men who then could feel they were thinking/talking about race even though they had no insight to share. Hence the standing ovation. I disliked every character on stage and for me there was absolutely no drama. I could have cared less what any of them did. It's hard for me to remember a lot of it but I think I had the feeling he was trying to shove in as many stereotypes as he could without giving any commentary. . .I think I remember laughing at one point because he had brought up yet another topic in some one liner and then it was left to sit. But then it makes sense with your comments below about his approach to the play. . .it did feel that way. . .he just put shit in. Cowardly and incredibly lazy. It was like listening to a room full of middle-aged white people at some kind of "introduction to race" seminar at [our small liberal arts college in the middle of nowhere].

You are right, there is no comparison between Fences and this play. Fences shows you how a skilled playwright can use dialogue to create fully developed characters who are impacted by race. I haven't seen that many plays but I have never seen a play where I have been as involved as that one. I do think Denzel was great at bringing you into his character but it was the unfolding drama and the feelings Wilson evoked that was the key. I saw it and immediately tried to get tickets to see it again, and that has never happened for me."
___________

Sounds about right.

TM

Re: The thread where Spring has sprung, and Penske has risen from the law. Word!
 

Overheard in Starbucks:
Gay Black man on cell;

Sandra Bullock plays an overprivileged white woman who takes in an underprivileged black kid and [narrative about plot] when really, you wish she would just get hit by a bus

snort. I laughed and the white guy next to me did too.

Hup Holland Hup!
 

After a very enjoyable game yesterday, this is a snoozer. Germany has not taken a shot of any type in the first 25 minutes.

Re: The thread where Spring has sprung, and Penske has risen from the law. Word!
 

Apparently some people (Ochocinco being one) do think he will sign with the Knicks.

Another Tweet leak has him house hunting in Miami.

What I have learned is that I follow too many sports personalities on Twitter.

Re: The thread where Spring has sprung, and Penske has risen from the law. Word!
 

Worst sources ever, but I'll take anything at this point.

TM

Re: The thread where Spring has sprung, and Penske has risen from the law. Word!
 

Yeah, because no one with gobs of cash who hangs out with celebs would ever think of living in Miami except if he had a contract with a sports team.

What surprises me is that no one actually has a leak. Aren't there contract negotiations? Aren't there agents and flunkies and front office staff who leak this stuff out?

Re: The thread where Spring has sprung, and Penske has risen from the law. Word!
 

Poor Icky.

Re: The thread where Spring has sprung, and Penske has risen from the law. Word!
 

i think at this point it's simply "we'll give you X$$ and y and z." the contract can be written next week. if the team tries to screw with LeBron he can go some where else. there is lots of time before he has to sign, right?

Re: The thread where Spring has sprung, and Penske has risen from the law. Word!
 

Maybe so. The NBA salarycaponomics are confusing enough, but presumably basically every team has calculated what it has available and says "here's everything--is it enough?"

ETA: I like this:

What I would like more is if at 9pm tomorrow the cameras turn to Lebron flying in a private jet and he tells everyone "Right now I'm flying to the city where I plan to sign a contract. Where am I headed? Let's find out." Then, 50 minutes of fluff. And he can land, Trump style, wherever it is, and make his announcement.

Re: Hup Holland Hup!
 

Really? I thought it was a great match, but then I love watching Spain play. I'm very much looking forward to the final. Paella and sangria all around.

I am concerned about Paul the Octopus, though. I fear that the public will turn on him for his gift and he'll end up deep fried and eaten.

Recommendations...
 

...for the best tequila for margaritas.

And by "best", I mean tasty but not overly expensive.