Seven Things to Root for on Oscar Night

1.  Martin Scorcese for Best Director.  Time for his Lifetime Achievement Award already.  .  Not his best film, but worthy enough to honor his incredible and Oscar neglected Book of Work.  He’ll win.  For Raging Bull.

 

2.  Mark Wahlberg in The Departed.   Has the best lines and never pulls a punch on a single one.  He won’t win because they’re not ready to give Marky Mark an Oscar, but it’s time to take him seriously.

 

3.  Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine.  I know he’s in the same category, but he glues this movie together with his own brand of crazy glue.  He won’t win either.  Eddie Murphy will and he gives a fine performance so I won’t feel too bad.  But Wahlberg and Arkin were superb.

 

4.  Little Miss Sunshine as Best Picture.  Give a small comedy it’s due just once guys.  This movie is hysterical and delivers with great heart.  Since United 93, the other great movie of the year wasn’teven nominated, I’ll be rooting for this road trip, the best time I had at the movies all year.

 

5.  Helen Mirren as Best Actress in The Queen.  She’s a shoe-in for her performance in this great movie, which just simply captures an event beautifully.  And someone actually edited this movie to a reasonable length. 

 

6.  Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.  If per chance Helen doesn’t win let’s all toast this first lady of the cinema for another incredible characterization.  Just awesome.

 

7.  Ellen Degeneres to pull it off and some great chips and dip to get you through the 4 hours.

Dreamgirls

Got off the couch on New Year's day to take in Dreamgirls.  This is the story of the Supremes with all the names changed to protect the lawyers. In general it makes me wish a) they’d do a real biography of the Supremes, and

b) that I had seen Dreamgirls on Broadway.

 

Not that the movie doesn’t have some merit.  It’s big and bold with great performances from beginning to end.

 

The performances aren't the problem here.  The bad news -  Fred Astaire is dead.  Somehow I’m going to have to get my arms around that.  What Astaire understood about musical performances on film was that the performance does the work, not the camera.  Watch his old movies and catch his singing and dancing.   You’ll see it in it’s entirety, uncut and in one take, with no close-ups of his face or feet.  You get him in full view.  It gives you subtlety and nuance, two things as absent as dinosaurs in today’s world.

 

It’s why basketball movies are usually ridiculous.  No matter how bad the shot looks leaving the hand, the camera cuts to it going through the net.  Why is Hoosiers such a beloved sports movie?   One of the reasons is that the camera work is so real.  We watched that amazing scene of Gene Hackman talking to Jimmy in the field while Jimmy hits shot after shot, and the whole thing is shot from a distance.  It gives the whole movie credibility that you don't usually get in a basketball movie.

 

Here, the director Bill Condon panders to the MTV generation with such quick cuts that it becomes frustrating.  It’s like sitting with someone else controlling the remote.  Pretty soon you want to say, “Stop, I was watching that.”  Fancy camera work doesn’t equal fancy movie.

 

Nevertheless, the performers make sure you can’t look away.  Jennifer Hudson is getting all the press for her breakthrough performance, and she’s defiant, loud, brassy, and terrific.  Her roll demands it, and is the centerpiece of the movie.  I felt her singing was way over the top most of the time, but I guess I’m in the minority on that. I liked the other two Dreamgirls just as much.  Beyonce Knowles and Anika Noni Rose have to pull off much more subtle roles that are equally important.  They must make the soap opera and the music believable.  Meanwhile Eddie Murphy is terrific and Jamie Foxx is properly evil.  Nope, you can’t fault the performers.

 

The music is good, with a little too much emphasis on the ballads.  I always associate Motown with the Temptations as well as the Supremes and I kept waiting for Funk that never came.  But, that’s probably quibbling a bit.  It is what it is, and it’s a very good movie, just not great.  Maybe it could have been.  But Fred Astaire is dead. 

The Sliding Toupee and Other Slippery Slopes

I have to admit I knew we were in trouble when I watched the Bears/Seahawks game at slippery Soldier Field.  Seattle’s game plan on the sloppy field was smart, with Shawn Alexander running the ball up the gut and the two teams hanging close to each other on turf that seemed like a new toupee that hadn’t been glued down yet.  I was semi-encouraged by the game plan against the Eagles – the way Deuce had been leaned on.  I thought this was going to be a game where straight ahead running would tell the tale, and cuts would be difficult.  The sliding rug dictated it. 

 

Unfortunately the Saints didn’t see it that way, and Sean Payton, who grew up in Chicago and apparently felt like his whole team grew up in Chicago, ignored the toupee conditions and came out with a pass happy game plan.  The Bears were never threatened by our running game and plowed the field with theirs.  We fizzled in the drizzle.  I can't help thinking that the field must have been awfully bad for the NFL to allow a playoff team to replace their turf in the middle of the season. It sure led to a bad toupee.  Sour grapes I'll admit, but it was as mysterious to me as it is when someone shoots off fireworks at halftime in a domed stadium, bringing a nice haze to the second half.  I'll just wonder if my "Saints to the Super Bowl" prediction would have been a possibility on a better carpet in a climate controlled videodome.  Guess that's why they fight for home field advantage.  The Bears looked pretty good to me.  Not 1985 good, but probably the NFC's best.

 

Oh well.  Who’s going to second guess the Saints after the year they had?  People always comment on the ridiculous amount of money pro athletes are paid and I always reply “It’s the entertainment dollar.”  If Elton John’s worth it, then Reggie Bush is worth it.

 

And the Saints did their job this year.  They entertained us at a time when entertainment was needed.    They were the front and center topic for almost 5 months and it sure was more fun than talking about FEMA.  Hopefully Tom Benson learned that you can pack that Dome, which he hates and we love, when you put a competitive product on the field.  And this was a competitive product.  They were disciplined, talented, and smart and they were very competitive. That’s all we ask.  You build it and we will come.

 

But the truth is the bar has now been raised.  The expectations will increase.  We have tasted the gumbo, and we want more.  The giddy feeling at the airport Sunday night won’t be repeated next year with a loss – only a win.  Starting with the draft we’ll be watching developments closely to see if they can continue to improve in a very tough division.  50 million Americas now know the Saints need to upgrade their secondary, and the next Antonio Gates at tight end would be nice, as would a great leader on defense - dare I say a Brian Urlacher/Ray Lewis type - somebody who goes Jack Lambert on an offense every now and then.

 

Unlike the Bears who get that nice padded schedule of the Vikings, Packers and Lions to beat up on, the Saints face the Bucs, who have bottomed out and will begin to climb back, the Vick team with a new coach to be killed, and the two-state Panthers who have a great coach who will undoubtedly bring them back. 

 

The future appears bright for the Saints.  But we’ll know in a few years whether or not Sean Payton is the next Jim Haslett, or the next Bill Walsh as Skip Bayliss claimed on ESPN yesterday.

We’ll know if Reggie Bush is the next Steve Smith or the next Gale Sayers.  We’ll know if Drew Brees is the next Aaron Brooks or the next Tom Brady.

 

We'll know pretty soon.

 

I like our chances. 

 

Wait til next year..

What to Watch For

Are we there yet?

Almost, kids.

The longest week in the history of mankind is almost over.

Suit up.

 

It has dawned on me that this weekend will now become a test of my theory of curse-breaking. 

I’ve long held the theory that some of the great losing streaks (Fenway Red Sox, Wrigley Cubs, Astrodome Astros/Oilers, Superdome Saints, and even Indy Colts) have a lot do with their home field advantage being a huge disadvantage away from home – that a team built for success in a unique venue struggles to also win on the road.  When the Red Sox finally broke their curse they did it with speed and pitching – things they didn’t usually bring to the party. Think about Dave Robert’s stolen base, Johnny Damon’s role, and that bloody sock.

 

Now the Saints will be taking their traction offense on the road where two teams were slipping and sliding on a loose turf last week, a condition which the Bears, if they’re smart, have not remedied this week.  I expect the Bears’ ability to run the ball will actually be the key this weekend.  Their two running backs, tired of hearing about Deuce and Reggie, will be breaking out the “disrespected us” card and using their familiarity with the loose turf to gain an advantage.  The Saints will be trying to clamp the running gameso the Bears have to turn Air Grossman loose. So, watch the turf war early.  Everyone will be talking about catching the ball in the weather conditions.  I figure both teams will be dropping a few.  I think it may come down to who’s wearing the right cleats.  A track meet tips to the Saints, I think.

Slop favors da Bears.

 

We’ve all heard how hard it is for a dome team to go on the road and win a championship game – 0 and 9 I think I heard.  Hey, you, get off of my cloud.  I wish everyone hadn’t jumped on the Saints bandwagon just yet.  I’m sure the Bears bulletin board is overflowing right about now. 

 

Oddly, the second game may come down to the same thing.  Indy is a team built for the home dome advantage and maybe this is the year they take that advantage and blow out their opponent by 3 touchdowns.  If it were any other QB they were facing I’d be more confident, but I don’t think Brady can tackle like Roethlisberger, and this time they shouldn’t all be mouthing “He missed it” at the end of the game, which of course was another example of Peyton not being able to win the big one. 

 

Won’t it be strange but wonderful if Peyton is faced with the opportunity to put away all the family ghosts in a Super Bowl against the team where the haunting began? 

And wouldn’t it be wonderful if the haunting continued just one more year. 

Wonder who Archie’d root for?

 

 

RSVP if you haven’t already if you’re coming Sunday.  And be ready for a road trip to the Big Easy.   

 

Here’s hoping we can’t resist a 60 mile joy ride.

Game Day Report

I’m more black and blue than Deuce McAllister.  David pounded on me the whole game, forgetting that a high five requires an opposing hand, not a whole body that just happens to be handy.

 

I feel like I was at the loudest rock concert ever - like Buddy Diliberto had come back as Elvis for one last concert.  Now I understand why the Beatles decided never to play another concert when they said they just didn’t think anyone could hear their music over the screaming anymore.  My ears are still ringing and I feel like Pete Townsend.

 

We watched as:

• Deuce ran like his Super Bowl ring was waiting in the end zone.
• Favorable fate intervened twice for the Saints for a change, in the person of punter Steve Weatherford, who turned a sure block into a first down, and Terrance Copper, who recovered a fumble for a first down.  Breaks we’re just not used to. 
• The Saints withstood the inevitable Stallworth revenge touchdown and watched incredulously as he continued to play. 
• The Saints, who were not at their best, still played well and found a way to beat a team with a great coach, a great running back, and a great QB.  We thought Garcia was awesome.  But the Saints played all 60 minutes. 
• Scott Fujita made a defensive play for the ages.  Often a season, even a career, turns on one play and this may have been it.  Would the Patriots be where they are without the “tuck rule” play, and would Cowher have retired a hero if Roethlisberger doesn’t make his game-saving tackle last year after Bettis fumbles?
• The crowd left.  Finally.  About 20 minutes after the game was over.  We stayed 'til the last drop – til we had drained every bit of the atmosphere and squeezed every drop of the thrill out of this unbelievable building

I couldn’t help but think as I looked around the emptying dome that hopefully Tom Benson will restrain himself and act like the Red Sox and Cubs.  There are some great baseball parks in America but there are only two monuments – Wrigley and Fenway.  The Louisiana Superdome, although much younger, is becoming that kind of building. 

 

Sure, it’s short on amenities – but it’s long on history. – an incredible history of not just figurative blood sweat and tears – but real ones.  It has rebounded from real human heartache to become a symbol of rebirth.  First, a football team, and ultimately a city.

 

It’s short on revenue, especially the luxury box kind, but long on atmosphere.  In that stadium I’ve attended  Sugar Bowls, Super Bowls, Saints games, other sports – some memorable – some forgettable, and way too many of them where my team scored not enough.

 

So, it’s short on victories – but maybe that damn storm signified a change.  Winning streaks and winning seasons can ignite incredible goodwill.  They can even unite a battered populace.  And home wins are the best.  Especially when they easily flow into the local party gras, a little secret called Bourbon Street.

 

The Saints won the biggest game in their history for the right to play the biggest game in their history.  They will have to do it without the unleashed hysteria of their home dome advantage, but just because they won’t be able to hear our hysteria doesn’t mean it isn’t there.  They’ll just have to imagine it.

 

 

As usual, we'll be watching and eating.  Menu TBD.  RSVP and I'll let you know what to bring.  Hopefully this time next week I'll be sending out an APB for Super Bowl Tickets.

The Surreal Dome

The Surreal Dome       

 

It was a game like no other.

We lost, and we danced.

The Saints have never seen a more meaningful reaction to a meaningless game.

To know we were in the playoffs, with a first round bye, without having to win was just surreal.

A few left early, but really not that many.

We stayed to appreciate this team and what it has accomplished

We stayed to soak it in, and dance and cheer even in a loss.

I haven’t been waiting 40 years to leave early.

 

What started out as an unlikely 3 hour tour has now been extended 16 times, with more to come.

Drew Brees plays Gilligan, flinging oval things around in a way that just seems to work out.

Sean Payton is the Professor, offering up his madcap inventions, and never letting up on the throttle.

Tom Benson is Mr. Howell, the rich eccentric who’s not really sure what’s going on, but he’s going to enjoy it.

And Ginger and Mary Ann?

Reggie and Deuce.  Which one would you choose?

I could go on, but I think you have the picture.  None of us really expected this when we left port, but we don’t really want to be found – not just yet.

 

Three Victories to go.

Then you can come rescue us.