dB's Blog

DODGERS AT HOLLYWOOD BOWL

2008-07-04T23:12:00.000-07:00

Tonight my two favorite things about Los Angeles combined for a special show: The Hollywood Bowl celebrated the Dodgers' 50 years in Los Angeles.

It was a lot of fun, although it was hardly the musical experience we usually see at the bowl with our classical series tickets.

Randy Newman was present to sing "I Love L.A." He also conducted the orchestra for music from The Natural. Nancy Bea played the organ on several pieces, and Tommy Lasorda gave a great pep talk to the crowd, then led the 17,000 present in a rousing rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

They also sang two songs I love; "It's a Beautiful Day for a Ballgame" and Danny Kaye's "D-O-D-G-E-R-S." Alas, it lacked the Lego animation, and the singer was really annoying and brash. Vin Scully read "Gibby at the Bat" (alas, he was in San Fransisco, so his performance was recorded).

The Dodgers beat the Giants today, and with the D'backs losing, that puts the Dodgers 1/2 game out of first place!

Interesting Article

2008-06-30T23:25:00.000-07:00

Interesting article on CNN that includes samples of Aztec flutes that have not been heard in hundreds of years.

Second Shutout in 3 Days for Dodgers!

2008-06-27T23:09:00.000-07:00

Chan Ho Park pitched a great game for the Dodgers, continuing his attempt at Comeback Player of the Year. In 6 innings he gave up 4 hits and no runs. He struck out 7. Falkenberg pitched well in the 7th, and Broxton and Saito each struck out the side, for a total of 14 Ks in the game.

The Dodgers looked like a championship team. They strung together hits (plus a Russell Martin homer) to get 3 runs, and Ethier pinch-hit a 3-run homer in the 7th. All this against one of the best teams in baseball, beating the Angels 6-0.

Stultz Pitches Complete Game Shutout Against White Sox!

2008-06-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

What a difference a day makes... last night, the Dodgers looked completely flaccid, and tonight, Eric Stultz threw a complete-game shutout, giving up only 4 hits to the 1st-place White Sox. He also drive in an RBI with sac fly, winning the game 5-0. This was only his second game this year - both were wins, giving him the only winning record amongst the Dodger pitchers.

All the kids look good tonight. Both DeWitt and Kemp made good defensive plays, the hits and RBIs were spread out well among the team.

DODGERS LOSE TO WHITE SOX

2008-06-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

The Dodgers may be celebrating their 50th year in Los Angeles, but there wasn't a lot to celebrate tonight, as Mark Buehrle made the Dodgers batters look like Little Leaguers, winning 6-1. The lone Dodgers run was a homer by Delwyn Young.

The attendance was reported at 43,900, but the crowd was sparse in the 9th inning. Derek Lowe had 8 Ks, but had a tough 1st, loading the bases and giving up a run, then another run in the 2nd. That would have been enough to lost the game, but he turned it around and made it into the 8th with a 2-1 deficit, but gave up 3 more, and Wade gave up another for the loss.

The Dodgers are looking worse and worse each time I see them. It's like the life is gone from the team.

Dodgers Blow it Yet Again

2008-06-21T00:25:00.000-07:00

The Dodgers lost to the Cleveland Indians 6-4 tonight in a rare display of futility.

Clayton Kershaw pitched 5 innings and gave up 4 runs, but that wasn't the problem for the Dodgers. Over and over the Dodgers left runners on third base... The Dodgers had 12 hits but managed a paltry 4 runs. It didn't help that game time temperature was 92 with no wind. The hottest night game I've ever been to.

50,000 people were on hand to watch the Dodgers tie up the game in the bottom of the 10th, then to watch Saito take the loss by giving up 2 runs. Saito has not been himself this year; he throws a lot of balls, and has given up 20 walks this year so far.

The highlight of the night for the Dodgers was a rare 6-2-5 double play, with the bases loaded, the shortstop threw to home to stop the run, and quick-thinking Russell Martin threw to 3rd for the 2nd out. It was not enough to win the game, though.

THE INEDIBLE KLUMP

2008-06-17T23:29:00.000-07:00

Just what America needs, a crappy remake of a crappy movie that's only 5 years old, THE INCREDIBLE HULK. Just about everything here is a misfire... there's virtually no continuity anywhere in the movie, no motivations or explanations for anything that happens. One of the biggest problems in the first film was the ridiculous nature of the gargantuan animated character; it lacked any believability whatsoever.

The new Hulk is only slightly more believable. At least they TRY to explain his infinitely expandable pants, sparing us from his giant green penis flopping around as he runs (I miss Roger Ebert). But so little in the film makes any sense, it's hard to care about any of the characters. And the acting is universally terrible, even Ed Norton, who probably made the movie even worse with his constant tinkering.

Well, they can always try again in 5 years.

INDY IV

2008-06-14T23:03:00.000-07:00

I don't think there was a single moment in the film INDY IV where I felt like I was watching something new. The film has constant reminders of other films, and not just the other Indy films; several times there are homages to CADDY SHACK.

It's a dopey script that's not very well executed. Dialogue scenes seem to exist only to string the action scenes together, and the action scenes are comically unbelievable. Visual effects were weak overall, looking more like a video game than the classic Indy films. Actig ranged from mediocre to terrible.

I'm not quite sure why Sean Connery was not in the film. Perhaps he was the only one smart enough to turn the script, even though it is basically a license to print money.

Reel Geezers

2008-06-13T11:43:00.001-07:00

NEWSWEEK mentioned thes two YouTube critics, with whom I have quickly fallen in love.

Rockies Beat Hated Giants 10-5

2008-06-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

The Rockies have begin to resemble the team that went to the World Series last year, with Aaron Cook going 7 innings and giving up only 3 earned runs for his 9th win. .

More importantly, the offense looked alive with 2 home runs, a 3-run homer by Todd Helton, and a 2-run shot by Garret Atkins. Helton & Quintanilla each had 3 hits; Atkins & Baker each had 2.

Rockies Hammer Brewers, 7-2

2008-06-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

the Rockies looked quite good tonight, and I am increasingly impressed with Coors Field. It's a great place to see a game, especially when the team plays this well. Rookie Greg Reynolds got his first major league win, but it was the offense that carried the game.

Colorado had a 5-run first inning, all with 2 outs. A double followed by 2 walks was followed by a grand slam by Brad Hawpe... and on the next pitch, another home run by Ianetta.

Colorado still has five major players on the DL. It will take a lot for the team to come back from the basement.

Kuroda Shuts Out Cubs

2008-06-06T22:44:00.000-07:00

Hiroki Kuroda pitched his best game yet for the Dodgers, pitching a 4-hit shutout against the most dangerous offense in baseball.

Jeff Kent got the first RBI in the first inning. That would have been enough to win it. Kuroda had 11 strikeouts and no walks in the game. Kent got thrown out later in the game for questioning a strike call that looked far inside and high.

Russell Martin had the night off and his replacement Danny Ardoin had 2 RBI, including a perfect executed squeeze play.

If the Dodgers can beat the Cubs, why can't they beat the Rockies???

Best Ad of All Time

2008-06-05T00:49:00.000-07:00

I can't believe they didn't run this in the superbowl!

The best part is the music...

RECOUNT

2008-06-05T00:24:00.000-07:00

For several years after I was critically ill in late 2004 - 2005, I would get sick to my stomach when I was driving down Buena Vista Street in Burbank. The reason was that St Joseph's Hospital is on that street, and the time I spent there was very traumatic.

I may be over most of those demons, but to this day, I still get that same sick feeling when I think about the events in late 2000 surrounding the election. Eight years later, I remember the pendulum of my emotions as they called Florida for Gore, then Bush, then no one... Gore gave up, then he didn't, then it went to court after court.

For that reason, I did not want to see RECOUNT, even though it had a great cast, good reviews, and was directed by one of the nicest guys I knew at film school, Jay Roach. Tonight I finally screwed up my courage and watched it.

It was very, very painful to watch.

But thank you, Jay for making it. The film is very good, and a very good thriller, even though we all know the outcome. But it is an important reminder of the events that shaped our country for the last 8 years.

There is also another tie-in between my illness and the election. If you've read my account of being sick, you'll know that I got sick just after the incredible depression of the 2004 election. And I don't think that's any coincidence. I had never in my wildest dreams imagined that this country could be stupid enough to re-elect a moron who lied to get us into an unnecessary war. But, as George Carlin says, "Imagine how stupid the average American is; then realize that, by definition, 50% of the country is even dumber than that."

There is a weird irony, though. No one could possibly have done more damage to the Republican Party than George himself has done in the last 8 years. At the same time, no one could have done more to help stop global warming than Al Gore, which he almost certainly could not have done if he had been elected.

Mysterious ways.

Dodgers Lose to Rockies

2008-06-03T23:21:00.000-07:00

The Dodgers gave the Rockies their first road win in 14 games tonight, being shutout 3-0. Penny had a rough first inning, giving up 2 of the runs, and threw a lot of pitches in the next few innings, but managed to go 6 innings total with only those 2 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks.

The Dodgers were so frustrated that the highlight of the night was a bench-clearing brawl between Matt Kemp and Rockie's catcher Torrealba, which I had hoped would motivate the Dodgers to do well in the 9th, but even with 2 men on, Blake DeWitt popped out to fizzle the ending of the game.

Summer 2008 Office Hours

2008-05-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

Summer 2008 Office Hours:
Mondays & Thursdays 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Lucas Post G111
5/29/08 - 6/30/08
Subject to change

Please note that due to the demands of the department I am often not in my physical office during office hours. Ask at the sound window if they know where I am.

It is always best to make an appointment
via e-mail first.

Summer 540 Project Proposals

2008-05-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

Sound Assignment 1
DUE MONDAY
MEMORIAL DAY at 10 PM

All students should have received an e-mail from me.
If you have not, please contact me here.

Please post a proposal for your final project here, including a brief description of your proposed sound design.

Remember that the scene should be 3-5 minutes long and include DIA, MX, FX, BG, and Foley. If you choose an already existing scene, you should not attempt to reproduce the sound design of the scene exactly as in the film. The point of the assignment is to be creative and create an entirely new sound design. Consider it a blank slate.

If you are in doubt about your choice, you should list more than one possibility and I will try to guide you towards a good choice. If you choose one of your own films, you must e-mail me a small QT movie of the scene (or upload it to my iDisk) so that I can look at it before I approve it.

To enter your proposal:
Click on “Post a Comment” immediately below to post your assignment. If you do not see it, try clicking here.

If you have a Google or Blogger account, you may log in under that name. If not, please click on OTHER and enter a name in the appropriate field.

This will be posted publicly, so if you wish to, you may choose a handle instead of your real name. If you do so, you MUST e-mail me your real name too so that I know who you are.

Enter the Word Verification.

Enter your proposal in the LEAVE YOUR COMMENT box. Click PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT. ("Enter" or "return" will not work.)

If you have any problems, e-mail the proposal to me and I will post it.

.

Cards Beat Dodgers Again

2008-05-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

Brad Penny had one bad inning and gave up 4 runs to the Cardinals, but it was enough to lose the game 4-0. Not much great to talk about for the Dodgers; we can only hope that Klay Kershaw is in fact the second coming as he has been described by Dodger farm fans, and that his first major league game tomorrow (at age 20!) will be a win for the Dodgers.

Jones Blows it for Dodgers... AGAIN!

2008-05-24T00:21:00.000-07:00

The Dodgers played a tight but frustrating game tonight; after 9.1 innings, the game was postponed because of rain. Lowe had pitched well but gave up one 2-run homer. The score was 2-1 at the break.

Finally restarted after more than an hour, Kemp made it to third, and Young to first with 2 out, and who pinch hits?

Andruw Jones. Strikeout to end the game.

Not sure what Torre is thinking, unless he want to prove to Dodger brass the Jones should be dumped once and for all.

Plus, fireworks were cancelled due to rain.

N.B. Looks like they had the fireworks anyway... at almost midnight!

Dodgers Sweep Reds

2008-05-21T23:51:00.000-07:00

The Dodgers had an all-Japanese pitchfest tonight, with Kuroda going 8 strong innings, and Saito coming in for the save.

This was one of the strangest games I've ever seen. High winds blew fly balls all over the outfield. Papers were flying everywhere. The Dodgers scored four runs in odd ways: a wild pitch, a passed ball, a wild pickoff throw, and a squeeze play that should have been an out but the pitcher lobbed the ball to short to the catcher and pulled him off the plate.

The small crowd of 33,000 enjoyed the game.

AMERICAN IDOL FINALE

2008-05-21T23:45:00.000-07:00

I was at the Dodger game, so I was lucky; I watched the last 3 minutes of A.I.

The people ruled, and chose correctly. David Cook won in a landslide. The judges backpedaled, apparently suspecting that they were wrong last night. The only thing I missed by watching only the last 3 minutes was an explanation for why Randy was wearing Captain Kangaroo's jacket.

AMERICAN IDOL FINALS

2008-05-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

The judges really, really want Baby Boy Archuleta to win. So much so that their accolades will almost certainly backfire and Cookie will win.

Archuleta was terrible all night long. His one strength was that he picked better songs. Elton John, John Lennon, and the hit-the-nail-on-the-head inspirational song were all better choices than Cook's. Archie did butcher Lennon's masterpiece, plus he had already sung it earlier in the season!

Cook had some weak moments in each song, but is much more talented. I think the judges are wrong to want Archie; obviously they thin he is more marketable. They might want to look at the sales figures on Jordin Sparks' album (last year's winner) versus Daughtry's. Cook will have a full career. Archie is a flash in the pan, and when he stops being "cute," all appeal is lost for him.

DialIdol predicts Cook by a significant margin. That doesn't include text messaging, which is a significant portion of the younger David's audience, so it will be hard to tell until tomorrow night.

Dodgers Beat Reds in Bottom of 9th

2008-05-19T23:34:00.000-07:00

Blake DeWitt got the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the 9th, after a touch-and-go game in which Brad Penny gave up 4 runs in the first 3 innings. Two errors by the Reds also helped the Dodgers by allowing them to tie it up in the 5th at 5 each.

DeWitt had 2 hits and 2 RBI, and Kemp had 4 hits and a walk. Beimel had a tough 5th inning; first he thought he had the 3rd out on a foul ball, then he thought he had it on a pick-off which was ruled a balk. But he came through anyway.

The crowd of 34,000 was small for Dodger Stadium but very vocal in the 9th, greeting a great ending on a beautiful night for a game.

PLAYTIME

2008-05-15T23:54:00.000-07:00

Jacque Tati's brilliant film PLAYTIME screened at the Egyptian Theater tonight. This is a 70mm print of a film shot in 65mm and mixed in 6 channel sound. It's a restored print including a few new minutes of material not seen in almost 30 years. It's a film that is hard to write about because it is so unique. Tati's films have virtually no dialogue, and no plot. They are extremely visual, with a very creative eye. They are comedies, but they are so subtle that if you are not very carefully paying attention, you'll have no idea something funny is happening. Unfortunately, contemporary audiences do not have the patience for this type of movie.

The film is so good that after seeing it you want to watch it again immediately, and when you leave the theater, you will look at the world differently. If I had to pick a favorite film, this would be it.

The film is playing again on May 25th, at the Aero theater in Santa Monica. I
very highly recommend the film. It rarely screens, this may be your only chance to see it where it was intended, on the big screen.

AMERICAN IDOL 3 RESULTS

2008-05-15T01:22:00.000-07:00

As expected, the black girl gets sent home, and the two white bread boys move on. It's too bad. I do hope Archuleta loses, it's like Barry Manilow and Liberace had a bastard step-child.