It’s questionable as to whether Time Magazine has any influence of its own nowadays, but that hasn’t stopped them from continuing to publish their annual list of the world’s 100 most influential people. The feature is one of those cute, marketable gimmicks that ensure a (certainly much-needed) boost in sales, but it does provide for some interesting fodder as to what qualities enable the quantification of an individual’s influence. Apparently, whatever this logarithm involves, it doesn’t look kindly on fiction writers.
This year’s list is a frustrating mixture of self-congratulatory stunts—T. Boone Pickens and Ted Turner writing eachother’s profiles, Ashton Kutcher musing on the Twitter guys (he owes them for all that free publicity), Quincy Jones celebrating John Legend after the two just recently recorded a duet for Jones’ upcoming album—with a commendable lauding of some of the world’s giants. Inclusions like Captain Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger and Captain Richard Phillips raise the question of what actually comprises influence; yes, these two men are heroes, but beyond the scope of this year, will anyone recognize their names? And hasn’t Phillips only been famous for about a month? Do their respective influences extend to the average person, who will never fly a commercial airliner or be taken hostage by Somalian pirates? Plus, elementary-school current events summaries, like General Chuck Yeager’s 255-word recounting of Sullenberger’s story, do little to impress upon anyone this significance; far more successful is Sullenberger’s piece on Phillips, a nuanced and insightful tribute that makes both men look impressive. (more…)
Capt. James T. Kirk reports for duty. Courtesy Cinema Source.
I’d never imagined it possible for someone to be nerdier than me. I can quote Harry Potter books. I play in Magic: The Gathering tournaments, although one friend tells me that girls totally dig that. I argue about whether or not Batman counts as a real superhero (he does). Then I saw Star Trek, the new reboot to the classic franchise. Now I realize that Trekkies boldly take nerdiness to a level where no man has gone before.
And I want to be one of them. Starting with the most heart-wrenching opening scene since Finding Nemo, Star Trek sets its phasers to stun. And stun it does. Young James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), a belligerent and cocky kid with loads of potential, gets recruited into Starfleet to be a spaceship captain. After chance encounters his future crewmates, specifically his rival/friend Spock (Zachary Quinto), Kirk discovers he must save the Enterprise, the fleet, Earth and ultimately the universe.
This latest Star Trek installation had everything you could want out of a summer movie: hotties, humor and a helluva lot of explosions. Fueled by action rather than dilithium and injected with wit, this movie will entertain any audience. Trekkies will find plenty of references to past Treks and everyone else will have their socks knocked off by the warp-speed fun. The effects are lavish, the plot intriguing and the acting well performed; Pine and Quinto fill their roles perfectly while Nero (Eric Bana) pulls off the best planet-destroying villain since Darth Vader. (more…)
Carpe Durham has the info on the newly opened George’s Diner, a 24-hour eatery on Hillsborough Street (with wireless coming soon!).
The diner (with no affiliation to the omnipresent Giorgio’s Hospitality Group) offers a nine-page menu with breakfast, diner standbys and a slew of Greek options. The diner expands the small number of late-night options (Cosmic, Cook Out, etc.) and the even smaller number of 24-hour eateries (Honey’s, Time Out, I’m not sure what others there are).
To view the restaurant’s Web site (it’s just a .jpeg), click here.
The Song: The last single from ‘N Sync’s self-titled sort-of-debut and pre-”Dirty Pop” era, “I Drive Myself Crazy” represented a foray into the music video that set them apart from many artists of the time (“Everybody” was too heavy-handed). Sure, it was no “Thriller,” but “I Drive Myself Crazy” showed high production value, semi-famous people and a loose narrative, all qualities that would become more prevalent in future boy band videos.
The Moment: While little girls were driving themselves crazy for boy bands, nerdier boys were going gaga for the disappointment of the millennium: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Just think of “you” in the band’s lyrics as a synonym for quality in the Star Wars franchise:
Lying in your arms
So close together
Didn’t know just what I had
Now I toss and turn
Cause I’m without you
Star Warsfever. ‘N Sync fever. All symptoms of the bliss that was 1999.
Retrospection: What always struck me about this song was the choice to give Chris Kirkpatrick the intro vocals. They are pretty rough here and only accentuate the fact that, even in 1999, ‘N Sync was the Justin Timberlake show in spite of his frosted, barely legal curls and JC Chasez holding his own.
But there is one other notable quality of this video: It’s rumored that each boy-bander came up with his own storyline for the video. If you look to 3:06, Lance Bass doesn’t seem too disappointed when his “girlfriend” dumps him. Wonder how hard he had to work to conceive that story? Our economy might have crashed, but at least Lance feels a little more comfortable, even if he’s removed from the limelight. Good job, left America.
The Song: “I Want It That Way” emerged on TRL May 5, 1999, taking only three day to make it to the top of the countdown. Though standard in its verse-chorus-verse…here comes the bridge structure, this was the band’s most democratic single with all band member’s (that’s right, even Kevin) taking a verse.
Just as big was the video. Why an airport? Why strange crowds heralding the bands return while the boys donned all-white outfits and trench coats? Who knows. And why should we. It was a great pop song—maybe one of the greatest.
