Will 2009 come up roses?

A happy new year to all! May your 2009—and mine!—begin by smelling of roses.

Happy birthday, Dad!

Today my father turns the big 6-0! In recognition and celebration, let us all raise our pints of Guinness to him—and follow it up with many many more pints!

Valkyrie

With Christmas signaling the beginning of Oscar season, I was able to catch one of the Christmas releases that was likely looking to catch the eye of the Academy: Valkyrie, the story of one of the most memorable attempts to kill Adolf Hitler.

Tom Cruise graces the silver screen for the first time in a while (now that the media sensation around his romance with Katie Holmes has finally moved to the back pages) to play Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, a Nazi officer who has come to see that Hitler is not the savior of Germany but in fact may be the single most dangerous man on earth. And as the movie begins, Stauffenberg comes to this realization just as his unit is being bombed in North Africa in 1943. After losing an eye, his right hand, and two fingers from his left hand in the bombing, he returns to Berlin to assume an office post, where is then approached by Major Tresckow (Kenneth Branagh, in too small a role) who recruits him into a society whose purpose is to kill Hitler and overthrow the socialist government of Germany.

With Stauffenberg now part of the resistance, he introduces a bold plan to the group: rewrite one of Hitler's executive orders, entitled "Valkyrie," so that it essentially tricks the Germany army into thinking that the SS is staging a coup in the event of Hitler's death—only it's the army that would end up being the coup for Stauffenberg and his associates, arresting the SS and toppling the socialist government to replace it with one that might be more amenable to Germany, Europe, and the rest of the world. The tricky part is, a rewrite of an executive order would require Hitler's signature, and a penetration of his inner circle. No easy task in either case, as the latter would require the conversion of many generals in the Germany army . . . and if one of them said no or decided to turn Stauffenberg in . . . well, you get the idea. It was a situation where the stakes were terribly high, terribly risky. And with an approved rewrite of the executive order Valkyrie, Stauffenberg and several generals were then able to put their heads together to formulate a plan to kill Hitler, put Operation Valkyrie into effect, and retake Germany.

But as was frequently pointed out by several generals, in a military operation, nothing ever goes according to plan.

Valkyrie was supposedly based on true events—or more appropriately, a Colonel Stauffenberg did exist, and he plotted and conspired against Hitler during the latter part of World War II. Though it's hard to say how historically accurate the events depicted in the film really are. All the same, Valkyrie proved to be an engaging wartime thriller, and it was interesting watching it from a future perspective—i.e., we already knew that Stauffenberg's plot would fail. Though if the story Valkyrie tells is true, then it's amazing to see just how close history came to changing on July 20, 1944—when Stauffenberg's plot was enacted and failed . . . by only a hair.

I have to say, Tom Cruise may not come readily to mind as someone capable of playing a Nazi officer, but he played his part very well! Though there were times (like when he was up against the firing squad) where he came across as more Braveheart than a Nazi liberator. Say what you will about Tom Cruise, but I still believe the man is a good actor. Putting aside the whole TomKat scientology schtick, all you need to do is look at films like Minority Report, Magnolia, and Born on the Fourth of July to see what he's capable of.

I also have to applaud director Bryan Singer, who's proven once again that he can deliver a quality, mature picture. We saw evidence of this way back in his breakthrough—and now legendary—film The Usual Suspects, but I think he kinda lost his way by transitioning to so many superhero films (think of X-Men, Superman Returns). With the directorial quality that he's demonstrated before, it's very gratifying to see that he's returning to form.

The acting overall was well done, though I was a bit surprised at how many British actors were playing German military officers: Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Eddie Izzard, the aforementioned Kenneth Branagh. Even Hitler himself was played by British actor David Bamber, who nailed the character of Hitler! I can't speak to how well he imitated Hitler's voice or persona, but the mannerisms, the physique, and to a certain degree the facial makeup resembled Hitler amazingly well! What I enjoyed the most was how the camera angles kinda kept Hitler in the shadows, almost off-screen, so as to keep him mysterious, fearsome, elusive, hidden.

If I had one complaint about Valkyrie, it's that it felt a bit short to me. With a little more effort, I feel that Valkyrie could have been more epic, more grand and sweeping. But as it is, I still found it to be an enjoyable and highly watchable film. 7.5 out of 10. Oh, and going back to the Oscar motif for a moment, I don't see it getting more than a couple of technical nominations (e.g., Best Sound, Best Cinematography, maybe Best Original Screenplay).

The greatest meal on earth

The other day, I treated myself to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants: Sin'e Irish Pub, home of the world's best potato soup.


I first visited Sin'e . . . wow, it might have been as far back as 2001! It wasn't too long after Will moved into Riverhouse and Pentagon Row itself first opened up, that much I remember. We had visited Sin'e one afternoon just to give it a try, and we were reasonably impressed with it. The same went for the potato soup on that first visit, but obviously both the soup and the restaurant got much better with age. And now, the potato soup is nothing short of a delicacy!

I'll often order it as either an appetizer (in a cup) or as part of their "beggar's banquet", when it comes in a bowl accompanied by a salad (house or Caesar). It's a very rich and creamy soup, filled with plenty of potatos, bacon, cheese, and chives, and I haven't met anyone yet who hasn't been intoxicated by this marvelous fare. And when served with either a Guinness or a black and tan (pictured above), you can't go wrong.

Merry Christmas to all!

Beethoven and Rowlf the Dog

I'm sure the maestro won't mind.

JoePa turns 82!

It's hard to imagine one of the winningest coaches in college football history still coaching after more than 40 years, but that's exactly what Joe Paterno is doing! And today he turns 82.

Like I said the other day, the age jokes on JoePa began in earnest a while ago.

In search of the Yuri house

I remember a hot Saturday afternoon in May 2004 when Will and I jumped into the car and searched for what we called "the Yuri house"—the house where Kevin Costner is being debriefed in the opening scene of the 1987 movie No Way Out. We had thought the Yuri house was located on one of the side streets just off Arlington Ridge Road, but alas, we were unable to locate it on that May Saturday four years ago.

I recently picked up the DVD of No Way Out from Netflix, and after looking at the film for the first time in several years, I realized that the house is on Arlington Ridge Road itself . . . just behind the apartment building where I live! So after carefully watching and re-watching the opening tracking shot of the film, I was able to determine precisely where the elusive Yuri house was: on the corner of 20th Street and Arlington Ridge Road! But my glee was for naught, as a trip past that intersection showed me that the house is no longer there.

In fact, we learn its fate courtesy of IMDb's trivia page for No Way Out:

When Ferrell leaves the safe house at the end of the movie, he leaves a real house in Arlington, VA, about a mile away from the Pentagon and drives away down Arlington Ridge Road. The house is no longer there (replaced by a larger one), but the "Do Not Enter" sign at the entrance to a street (20th St. S.) next to the house is still there.

Oh, well. Still, it would have been nice to have actually seen the house.

On a side note, I love the opening shot of the film. It's a tracking shot that begins at the U.S. Capitol, pulls back across the National Mall, across the Memorial Bridge, down over the Pentagon . . . and right over Riverhouse! It's quite fascinating to see my neighborhood as it was 20 years ago, to see how much things look the same and what has since changed—like how there was nothing but trees over what is now Pentagon Row and Pentagon City Mall!

I was lucky enough to find that tracking shot on YouTube (well, that and the first 10 minutes of the film).

RIP Lwaxana

She was Christine Chapel. She was Lwaxana Troi. She was the voice of the computer. Hell, she was Gene Roddenberry's wife! She may not have been as big a star as Leonard Nimoy or William Shatner, but Majel Barrett was nevertheless a constant presence on Star Trek—not to mention the show's biggest proponent through all its iterations, films, and spinoffs since the show launched (pun intended!) in 1966. And this morning I heard the sad news that she died yesterday morning at the age of 76.

She certainly lived long and prospered, and her death is a great loss.

Now this is a DC map we all need!

In Marc Fisher's column a few days ago, he pointed to a sort of cubist poster of DC that outlines and delineates all of DC's various neighborhoods. When I looked at the poster, I was actually rather blown away, because up until then, I hadn't realized how many different neighborhoods there are around DC! Or more to the point, I hadn't visualized it mapped out like this, and to see DC in this delineation was quite fascinating and eye-opening.

Happy birthday, Bentje!

Let us all toast a tall hefeweizen—or better yet, a chai from 49 West!—to Bentje on this, her birthday.

You know what? I think another old friend of Bentje's wants to wish her a happy birthday, too! :)

Another three years for JoePa

So despite all my hopes to the contrary, it looks like JoePa isn't going to retire at the end of this season after all (despite claiming for years that he'd only coach "for another five years"), because he's signed a contract to remain at the helm of the Nittany Lions for another three years.

I have to admit, I feel mixed.

Like 90% of all Penn Staters who bleed blue and white, I love JoePa and think he's a god among legends. But as I've said many times before, Joe ain't getting any younger—in both age and coaching style. In fact, he turns 82 years young in just four days! (The age jokes at Joe's expense already started long ago.) I can't help but feel that Joe's ego and sense of relevance were key factors in his decision. And Graham Spanier, despite having more sway with Penn State's high echelon than in previous years (especially when it comes to retaining Joe!), obviously doesn't want to be known as the man who fired JoePa.

So I guess the only thing I can do is hope he continues to have winning seasons, because when the time finally comes for JoePa to step down, I really want him to go out on top and not with a worn-out welcome.

Happy birthday, Paul!

Move over, Jon Stewart!

This is certainly an interesting turn of events! It was announced tonight that the host for the 2009 Oscar ceremony will be none other than Hugh Jackman! He wasn't necessarily on my short list of hosts, but nevertheless, I find myself quite intrigued by this selection! And I think he could prove to be quite a good Oscar host—just as good a host as Jon Stewart last year and Ellen DeGeneres two years ago (she's my favorite host thus far; I was too young to enjoy Billy Crystal during his glory days). Hugh Jackman is also an actor I've really come to enjoy, as he's proven to be quite an accomplished and capable actor in the last several years. (It still kinda irks me that he was overlooked by the Academy for The Fountain.) But maybe one day he'll share the same honor that Whoopi has—being an Oscar host and an Oscar winner.

I still intend to keep up the tradition of live-blogging the Oscar ceremony this coming February, despite my decrease in blogging traffic this year (especially in the movie review department)—both of which I'm aiming to rectify in the coming months.

Every second counts?

It appears that leap years aren't enough, because now we're dealing with leap seconds:

Along with the economy, the Earth itself is slowing down, requiring timekeepers to add an extra second to their atomic clocks to keep in sync with Earth's slightly slowing rotation. So an extra second will be tacked on to Dec. 31 after 6:59:59 p.m. and before 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

This is actually the first I've ever heard of such a scheme, though apparently it started being implemented sporadically in 1972. Somehow I doubt a lot of people are going to take notice of this, because it's not as noticeable as, say, turning the clocks ahead an hour.

Have you stopped and smelled the roses today? (II)

The official announcement was made today, even though most of us already knew it: Penn State will be heading to the Rose Bowl on January 1, and is set to face off against USC.

While I'm disappointed that we didn't finish the season undefeated, I'm nevertheless pleased that we've secured a spot in this most prestigious of bowl games. I now find myself wondering if it'll be a crazed, tear-your-hair-out game like the 2006 Orange Bowl, or a walkover like most of our games have been this season. What's even more ponderous is whether JoePa, despite his claims to the contrary, will step down after the bowl game! I still think he should go while on top, and a Rose Bowl win would give him that opportunity.

Right now it's looking like I'll be watching the game from North Carolina—so I'd best make a good impression on the Ohio State fans I'll be staying with that week!

Beautiful music (III)

Andante Festivo, by Jean Sibelius.



The last time I heard this piece was in college, and I'd forgotten just how beautiful it is.

A brief brush with greatness

I've read a good number of Dean Koontz books over the years, and I'd say he occupies a good 25-30% of my bookshelf at home. Today he hosted a Washington Post chat, and was kind enough to answer one of the questions I submitted to him. (I think I submitted two.)

Arlington, VA: Mr. Koontz,

I've noticed that you seem to shy away from the spotlight and commercialization that's become so commonplace with many other writers of this generation. I'm thinking of Anne Rice and Stephen King as examples. Is there a particular reason for this, or do you just prefer your privacy (which I can greatly respect!)?

Dean Koontz: Some writers enjoy being public figures, God bless them, and I think they do a service to publishing by making the book seem more glamorous than it otherwise would. I may be the only writer on the bestseller list who has never done a national tour and who avoids as much TV as he can without annoying his publisher. I like radio interviews because some anonymity is preserved when your face isn't all over the tube. If I had my druthers, I would write and do NO publicity. For me, the joy is in the doing, in the creating, not in what comes next. Except for this event, of course, which I am enjoying IMMENSELY because we are all being so BRILLIANT here. Besides, I'm actually in Hawaii, and 346 monkeys are typing these answers.

His chat was filled with much of his trademark humor, and I can honestly say I enjoyed his chat. Not to mention being flattered that he answered my question!

This is actually the third time I was able to talk to a major figure in the entertainment industry on a Post chat. The other two times were with filmmakers Darren Aronofsky and Kevin Smith.